Lebanon's Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri delivering a speech in Sour, South Lebanon on Aug. 31, 2022. (Photo credit: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament)
BEIRUT — The Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, said that "Lebanon needs a conciliatory president" in an interview published Monday by the daily al-Shark al-Awsat. He reserved the right to announce the date of the plenary session for the election of President Michel Aoun's successor, whose six-year term ends October 31, while stressing that he does not want to interfere in the formation of the new government. Berri also regretted a "return to square one," as the arm wrestle between Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati gets tougher.
"Lebanon needs a conciliatory president, whose strength lies in the fact that he brings together the Lebanese and only takes sides to save the country from the crises it is suffering from," Berri pleaded. He added that he is in favor of "an agreement that will allow the election of a president who will unite the Lebanese, and not divide them or make distinctions between them.
Berri's call follows a speech made Sunday by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in which he stressed the importance of electing a "defiant" or even "confrontational" president. Geagea made a similar call last August, which raised fears on the local scene and pushed him to deny any violent connotation in his latest speech. In justifying the use of these terms, the Christian leader said, "I don't know why some people are afraid of the words 'challenge' or 'confrontation.' It is not a call to confrontation in the street ... It is about [electing] a president who would challenge the Captagon makers and all those who allow themselves to substitute State and take decisions on sovereignty or foreign policy," said Geagea in a dig at Hezbollah, an ally of Nabih Berri's Amal movement.
As head of the legislature, Berri said he reserves the right to announce the opening date of the parliamentary sessions for the election of a new president. Before these sessions, he said he intends to convene Parliament to vote on the draft budget for the current year and several reform projects intended to help the Lebanese economy recover, as required by the International Monetary Fund.
Berri also expressed his "relief" regarding the position of the Forces of Change MPs, who want to meet with all political forces to reach an agreement on a new president based on a list of "criteria." On Saturday, these parliamentarians also threatened to use "methods of popular pressure" if a new president is not elected before October 20, about ten days before the planned departure of Michel Aoun from Baabda Palace.
Government: back to square one
On the subject of the government, Berri said that "the last meeting between Aoun and Mikati was the worst of all and brought the discussions back to square one."
"The atmosphere there was not at all encouraging," he added, noting that this motivated his "decision not to interfere in the formation of the Cabinet."
Berri said he supported the establishment of a new ministerial team "as soon as possible" to avoid constitutional conflict. Many observers fear Michel Aoun will cling to his post after the end of his term, on the grounds that it is impossible for an interim Cabinet to exercise the prerogatives of the president in the event of a vacancy.
Once again, Berri expressed his support for Mikati and his opposition to the incorporation of six new ministers to the outgoing team, citing his fear of repeating the experience of former Prime Minister Tammam Salam when "every minister became president." He referenced the 2014-2016 Cabinet, headed by Salam, which exercised the powers of the head of state from the end of then-President Michel Suleiman's term until the election of Aoun. The Mikati Cabinet has been in charge of current affairs since May 22, when it assumed interim status following the parliamentary elections, but this situation could drag on if an agreement is not reached between all political parties.
On the subject of the maritime border dispute with Israel, Berri finally offered assurances that he attaches great importance to the country's reclamation of its oil and gas wealth. Amos Hochstein, the American envoy in charge of the indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, is expected in Beirut at the end of the week, according to the deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab.