Speaker Nabih Berri expressed his support to the statement issued by the Maronite Bishops following their regular meeting in Bkerke, in all its items, noting it does not contradict the items of the national dialogue or what he called “the package deal.”
During Wednesday’s deputies gathering in Ain al-Tineh, Berri distributed to the MPs ‘Kaak al-Abbas’, a type of cookie prepared during the Achoura holiday.
Commenting on the statement of head of Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday, Berri said that the remarks were positive.
For his part, MP Ghazi al-Aridi said after meeting with Berri that the discussions are ongoing; pointing out that no final agreement has been reached yet.
However, sources from Bkerke said that Berri’s approval of the bishops’ statement reveals that there’s agreement between the parties and that the speaker does not impose any conditions on the future president. The sources added that this means that “the package deal concept has failed.”