Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, received on Tuesday in Dar al-Fatwa, MP Achraf Rifi, who said after the meeting, "I was delighted this morning to visit His Eminence to congratulate him on his safe return from Hajj and on performing the pilgrimage."
"Your role was extremely crucial in extinguishing the flames of the potential conflict in Qornet al-Sawda as His Eminence took the initiative to contact all Christian and Islamic references and served as a cover to prevent any painful incident from turning into a conflict between us and the people of Bcharri," Rifi said addressing the Mufti.
Regarding the political file, in response to a question, he said, "The constitution is clear, before the end of any presidential term, two months should be given to call for the election of a president. When the term ends, we become an electoral body, not a legislative body. The constitution is clear. We need to find a radical solution that begins with electing a president for the republic."
He continued, "I address Berri and say to him, Your Excellency, we want to elect a president according to the constitution. Don't push us to engage in dialogue and impose privileges on us that you have obtained through your weapons, and you want to legitimize them legally or practically."
Rifi also noted that this country could only continue if the partnership is equal.
"I say to Berri, whom I greatly respect, that we need to hold continuous sessions, knowing that the first session requires 86 deputies for a quorum and 86 for voting, and the second session requires 86 for a quorum and 65 for voting. There may be a one or two-hour interval for the parties to consult," he continued.
He also believed that "Berri knows very well that it is not the first time he has called for dialogue, and the results of previous dialogues have not been respected. Our experience with dialogue is not encouraging, so we are not enthusiastic about dialogue."
"It's as if we are violating the constitution by engaging in dialogue," he concluded by saying.