L'Orient Today

Free Patriotic Movement head Gebran Bassil yesterday said he is “worried” about his party’s alliance with Hezbollah, citing continuing disagreements regarding the presidential election. “We agree with Hezbollah on the ‘Resistance,’ but that is not enough because there is disagreement on the priority of building a state,” Bassil said, adding the FPM is “starting to have question marks about respect for the partnership.” Bassil’s comments come after a meeting between the two parties last Monday after weeks of tension which was seen as a sign of return to normal bilateral relations. The FPM, which has been boycotting cabinet sessions, considers Hezbollah’s participation in government meetings a betrayal. Bassil criticized what he saw as an attempt to “elect a president without Christians,” notably Hezbollah’s support of Marada head Sleiman Frangieh despite his disagreement with the move. The FPM head announced his potential run for president if the party’s “preliminary list of candidates” fails to garner support and parliamentary groups fail to implement reforms before the election of “any candidate who has a majority.” Meanwhile, Forces of Change MPs Najat Saliba and Melhem Khalaf are still protesting inside the Parliament building for a second week after the failure of the 11th presidential election session to name a president. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has not yet scheduled a 12th session.