Naufal Daou to LBCI: The French initiative cannot be relied upon; Lebanon's political identity is more important than names

Journalist and politician Naufal Daou believes that relying solely on the French initiative, isolated within the Quintet meeting, is not feasible. He contends that France is striving to maintain expansionist policies and mandates, with its foreign policy showing failures in various regions worldwide.

Daou explained during an interview on LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show that "France's main concern is resolving the presidential crisis in Lebanon, while Saudi Arabia, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar are searching for a solution to the Lebanese crisis." 

He added, "Saudi Arabia is trying to facilitate what the Lebanese want, not imposing what Iran wants, unlike France."

Regarding the presidential elections, Daou stated, "The individual is not the issue. Even if a candidate from Hezbollah were to succeed without Hezbollah's ideology, I have no problem with that. The main battle is not about names but about Lebanon's political identity and its strategy in the coming phase."

He emphasized that there is no comprehensive project or vision opposing Hezbollah's project. 

He said, "A state entangled in its foreign policy worldwide cannot be trusted to solve Lebanon's crisis. Lebanese citizens who claim to disagree with Hezbollah, when asked about their project, say, 'We don't want Hezbollah,' but when asked what they want, the answer is 'I don't know,' or each party wants something different."

Regarding dialogue, he affirmed that he is not against it, but it is impossible for speaker Nabih Berri to chair and manage the dialogue, as he claimed. 

He added, "Naturally, the President in Lebanon cannot be elected without a settlement, but if the settlement is at the expense of the logic of the state, it cannot lead to any solution."

He noted that today there are different approaches, especially in the Arab world, saying, "We must be part of this new Arab system instead of being a place for conflicts, and we have the decision." 

He pointed out that the nature of conflicts has changed, and consequently, the nature of solutions has also changed.

In another context, Daou explained the necessity of establishing a new concept for "Arabism," and one cannot separate politics from the economy.

He also expressed his view that the revolution failed because Lebanon is not prepared to implement the Western model.