It seems that "Ain al-Tineh" started weeping over the ruins of "Bnachi" in light of the dwindling hope of bringing the candidate of the Shiite duo to the presidency, the Marada Movement leader Sleiman Franjieh, particularly considering that his words were delivered after he hosted Walid al-Boukhari, the Saudi ambassador, who is currently visiting Lebanese officials and leaders after beginning his tour from Bkerke last week.
Sources reading "between the Lines" in Berri's speech before the councils of the press and editors' unions about the presidential issue claim that "the Saudi message has arrived," but they also pointed out a blatant continuation of the policy of refusing to acknowledge Franjieh's lack of luck following the Iranian-Saudi agreement.
This article was originally published in, translated from Lebanese newspaper al-Modon.
The Shiite "duo" is more aware than anyone else that the agreement will ultimately serve the purpose of helping Lebanon elect a president "who enjoys a Lebanese-Lebanese consensus and Arab and international cover, and these characteristics do not naturally apply to Franjieh."
In this sense, information about the atmosphere of the "Ain al-Tineh" meeting confirmed that Berri heard clear words that the Saudi ambassador reiterated the Kingdom's position regarding the traits that the next Lebanese president should possess in order to be able to lead the country's rescue phase with the assistance of nations eager to rescue Lebanon from its crisis.
This is based on the findings of the five-party consultations in Paris, which emphasized the need for the Lebanese to adopt a roadmap to salvation that begins with electing a consensual president from outside the candidates of the political system that has caused the Lebanese state to be in a state of disintegration and collapse at all levels, and the formation of a government able to keep up with the new era that is marked by structural reform initiatives that satisfy international demands and IMF agreement requirements.
However, Berri attempted to use the "displaced" and "Hezbollah" issues to revive Franjieh's campaign, arguing that as a close ally of both the Syrian government and "Hezbollah," he is the best qualified to "talk with Syria on the issue of demarcating the borders and resolving the crisis of the displaced (...) and on approaching the defense strategy."
He also recalled the biography of Franjieh's presidential candidacies by saying: "Wasn't he a candidate when President Emile Lahoud's term was extended? Didn't Ambassador David Hill nominate him? Wasn't he a candidate when General Michel Aoun was a candidate? Wasn't he one of the four Maronite Christian leaders who agreed in Bkerke that whoever is elected from among them would represent Christians and the Lebanese people?"
In Clemenceau, Jumblatt reviewed with the Saudi ambassador the developments and events in Lebanon and the region.
Progressive Socialist Party sources described the atmosphere of the meeting as "positive," noting that Jumblatt emphasized "the importance of the agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran in China to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries."
They also pointed out that Jumblatt was one of the first supporters of promoting dialogue to strengthen the security and stability of the region. He was among those who called for such a dialogue between Riyadh and Tehran since 2006.
As for the Lebanese internal affairs, sources reported to "Nidaa al-Watan" that the PSP leader emphasized the need to strengthen channels of communication and dialogue in Lebanon, and the inevitability of finding a way to "produce internal dialogue that leads to the election of a new president for the republic.”
The same sources confirmed that Jumblatt "still maintains his position of rejecting the election of a president that supports a party against party," based on the points of the initiative he presented to various parties.
He also emphasized the priority of completing the presidential election.
This as the PSP sources confirmed that Jumblatt reiterated during the meeting with al-Boukhari on the "significance of relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Gulf states", and there was a convergence of views and exchange of opinions between the two sides, and an agreement to continue communication in the next phase."
Meanwhile, the Appeals Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon demanded that the Lebanese judiciary implement the findings of the court's rulings and arrest warrants issued against four members of Hezbollah who were convicted by the court of involvement in the assassination of the late President Rafic Hariri.
In parallel with the STL’s request for the Lebanese authorities to "arrest and deliver Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra, it also requested the court's registrar to "provide the government of the Netherlands with a certified copy of the judgment," and authorized its prosecutor to "request that the Interpol General Secretariat issue its notices in respect of these persons to be valid for execution as international arrest warrants."