Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his party had agreed unanimously to back the candidacy of Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun.
“We are ethically and politically committed to supporting the presidential bid of MP Aoun and we do not mind that he was endorsed by our political rival,” Sayyed Nasrallah stated, adding that he welcomes any rapprochement between different Lebanese parties.
In a televised speech, Hezbollah leader clarified that the party’s relationship with its friends and allies is based on trust, honesty and mutual respect.
“Claims that Hezbollah is bargaining over the issue of the presidential elections and that it wants something in return for facilitating the vote, are far from being true,” he added.
As for Future Movement’s support for Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Frangieh’s nomination for the presidency, Nasrallah said that the manner in which the issue was addressed and the leaks to the media prevented any real or serious dialogue.
He said that the leaks created ambiguity and the way the issue was addressed from Paris created negative repercussions in the March 8 and the March 14 camps.
On another note, Nasrallah stressed that “Iran has nothing to do with Lebanon’s presidential issue and will never interfere in it.”
“Whosoever has any proofs that Iran is taking advantage of the Lebanese presidential dossier in a bid to serve its own interests, should submit them,” he added.
Speaking of the Iranian democracy, Nasrallah said that Iran has organized more than 35 elections in the past 37 years and the polls were never suspended, despite the wars and bombing.
“However, we in Lebanon are searching for any excuse to postpone the elections and we don't have a constitutional authority to address the differences,” he added.
Commenting on the file related to the Civil Defense volunteers, Nasrallah expressed hopes that the Cabinet would tackle this issue during the session that will be held Tuesday.