Raad calls for 'agreement' to elect a president

BEIRUT — The head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, Mohammad Raad, called Friday for "dialogue" toward agreement on the future president of Lebanon as the country enters its seventh month with no head of state.

"Come to an agreement to choose the most suitable president at this stage, which involves preserving the interests of all," Raad said at an event in South Lebanon, according to a statement.

Raad's call for dialogue shows a shift in tone by Hezbollah. In April, Hezbollah's number two, Sheikh Naim Kassem, threatened a further leadership "vacuum" if the party's preferred candidate, Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh, was not elected.

While he called for dialogue, Raad also accused Hezbollah's opponents of not being willing to discuss the presidential issue. "They don't want dialogue. They just want us to drop our candidate and talk about theirs," he said. "They then accuse us of refusing to dialogue."

"We want a candidate who will not be led by our enemies with a simple phone call," Raad added.

Saudi ambassador comments on deadlock

The Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, met Thursday with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai in Bkirki.

"Saudi Arabia considers that the presidential election is a Lebanese internal political matter and that political choices should be made in Beirut," Bukhari said, quoted in a Patriarchate-issued statement. Riyadh "has no objection to any candidate who would gain the confidence of the Lebanese," the statement added.

Bukhari continued his tour on Friday and visited former Prime Minister Tammam Salam in the morning.

Many observers believe that France is promoting a barter between the election of the Marada leader to the presidency and the nomination of Nawaf Salam, former Lebanese ambassador to the UN and current judge at the International Court of Justice, to form the next term's first government.

Paris has denied this, with its diplomatic service saying on Wednesday it "does not have a candidate in Lebanon."

According to some observers, Saudi Arabia would be opposed to Frangieh's ascension to the presidency.