Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil leads a party delegation in Diman, Sept. 29, 2024. (Photo from the Maronite Patriarchate Facebook page)
After the assassination on Friday of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Israeli strikes that rocked the southern suburbs of Beirut, the overwhelming majority of local politicians are exercising caution while waiting to see a little more clearly. Nevertheless, people are already starting to oil their machines in anticipation of the next step, even if, at this stage, it remains shrouded in uncertainty. But what is certain is that it should focus on efforts to quickly achieve a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel in addition to the election of a president.
The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, opened the ball on Saturday. After paying a vibrant tribute to Nasrallah, "the man symbolizing patience," the Batroun MP outlined his roadmap for the next phase.
"I call on the parliamentary speaker to quickly convene very limited parliamentary consultations to reach an agreement on the future president," said Bassil, before stressing that whatever the outcome of the process, a parliamentary session dedicated to the presidential election should follow and should not be adjourned until after the election.
To this end, he has held meetings in recent days with several political leaders, such as the leader of Marada, Sleiman Frangieh and the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Taymour Joumblatt. The meeting held on Sunday in Diman between Bassil, at the head of a delegation of the FPM, and the Maronite Patriarch, Bechara Rai, should be included.
"We converge with the head of the Maronite Church on the need to come to the aid of the displaced persons who have left south Lebanon, as well as on the urgency of electing a president and reaching a cease-fire," Cesar Abi Khalil, present at the meeting, told L'Orient-Le Jour.
He said that his colleagues will soon hold meetings with all political groups to facilitate a presidential election because "neither a party nor a caretaker government that does not comply with the national pact can negotiate and speak on behalf of official Lebanon," Abi Khalil said, echoing Bassil.
During his press briefing, the latter also reiterated his criticism of Hezbollah's unilateral involvement in the war that has been ongoing since Oct. 7. Affirming that the conflict must end, the FPM leader stated bluntly, "The resistance cannot win [the war] without the state," calling for "taking advantage of this difficult time that the country is experiencing to reach an agreement around the presidency."
'Time to return home'
Bassil seemingly agrees with the opposition who appear convinced that "the time has come for everyone to return to the fold" of the state, to use the words of an MP from this camp who requested anonymity. They emphasized on this level that the opposition is working at this stage for the rapid election of a president and – above all – for a cease-fire. Periodic meetings between opposition figures are currently underway to develop an initiative capable of getting the country out of the current war, reports this deputy without giving further details.
The Lebanese Forces, which, to everyone's surprise, made no reaction after Nasrallah's murder, did not mention these meetings. They stuck to the leadership's long-time talking points.
"Priority should be given in the next phase to holding the presidential election by the constitutional mechanism," said party spokesperson Charles Jabbour. A way of once again rejecting the dialogue that the parliamentary speaker, Nabih Berri, has relentlessly pressed for as a prerequisite for holding the election.
"What is needed now is a cease-fire and the strengthening of the ministerial commission for crisis management. As for the presidential election, let us accept Berri's call for dialogue," Walid Joumblatt told L'Orient-Le Jour.
Barrot in Beirut
At the same time, diplomatic efforts to fill the void in Baabda continue, particularly through the Quintet involved in the Lebanese issue (United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar). Speaking with L'Orient-Le Jour, the Egyptian ambassador to Beirut, Ala' Moussa, said that "the international community will not abandon Lebanon. But the country must have a president so that it can make its voice heard."
"We are currently working both for a cease-fire and for the holding of the presidential election," added the diplomat, stressing that the post-Nasrallah era will not be like the pre-Nasrallah era since Israel does not want to hear anything, especially after eliminating the party's leader. These efforts will also be on the agenda of the visit of the French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, who arrived in Lebanon on Sunday evening. On Monday, he is expected to meet with Patriarch Rai, Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and army commander Joseph Aoun.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
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