Abou Faour: The solution lies in extending the army commander's term; the next president must be 'consensual'

MP Wael Abou Faour revealed that international parties informed Lebanon that things are not positive and was asked to open a discussion about Resolution 1701 to avoid sliding into an open war with Israel.

In an interview on LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show, Abou Faour believed that the war will continue in Gaza and will last. 

He noted that it is evident that Hezbollah does not want to rush into a "comprehensive" confrontation, but the Israelis are pushing towards an open clash with Lebanon, which is in extreme danger.

He pointed out that the idea of "uniting the battlefields" contradicts the idea of a "defensive strategy," noting that Hezbollah is still evaluating a balance between the two.

He believed that Hamas is a resistance movement that cannot be avoided in any future arrangements, and the Palestinian side is the most capable of facing and resisting in this war.

Regarding the presidential file, Abou Faour considered that the next president must be consensual and enhance consensus among the Lebanese. 

He mentioned that discussions before the war in Gaza about the presidency led to a quasi-general conviction that the only way out of the crisis is to search for a consensual president.

He confirmed that the Lebanese people were not divided in facing Israel, ruling out that anyone could exploit what is happening in the region to gain advantages in the presidential file.

He indicated that the name of the army commander is "advancing" in the presidential discussions.

As for the vacancy in the army leadership, Abou Faour emphasized that the military institution cannot tolerate any vacuum, and the solution lies in extending General Aoun's term and appointing a military council until a new president is elected.

He noted that the government's path to addressing the file does not seem viable at the moment, and the parliamentary path is linked to the parties' positions, emphasizing that political parties need to show more flexibility in this regard. 

He said, "There are several proposals, and a consensus formula can be found and pursued."

Regarding the budget, Abou Faour considered that there cannot be financial regularity without constitutional regularity, and even if the budget is approved, it will not be implemented.