Nabih Berri seeks settlement for accepting Army Commander as president

Sources close to the matter have revealed that in February, after the Arab International Quincy meeting in Paris, there was a discussion about nominating either President Frangieh or Army Commander Joseph Aoun for the presidency.

However, the French requested support for promoting Frangieh's candidacy along with Judge Nawaf Salam as Prime Minister in what appeared to be a barter that satisfied various influential Lebanese parties.

 

According to the sources, speaking to the "Nidaa Al-Watan" newspaper, stated that despite several discussions and negotiations, the French were unable to reach a satisfactory outcome.

As a result, other members of the Quincy meeting returned to the nomination of Joseph Aoun, citing reasons such as his ability to guarantee the necessary reforms, as the absence of political calculations could push to harsh decisions.

Other justifications for Aoun's candidacy included his firm rejection of sectarianism and his successful management of the military institution during difficult times. Furthermore, his ability to balance sensitive relations between the US and Hezbollah was highly praised.

Meanwhile, local sources have confirmed that Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri repeatedly stated that Aoun's candidacy requires constitutional amendments.

When reminded that during Michel Sleiman's presidential election, there was no mention of constitutional amendments, Berri replied, "at that time, there was a settlement," implying that he is looking for a settlement in exchange for accepting Joseph Aoun as president.