Lebanon's Parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, reiterated Saturday his call for "dialogue" between the various political parties in order to break the deadlock in the country's presidential election.
Nabih Berri © TOI
Lebanon's Parliament speaker, Nabih Berri (a close ally of Hezbollah and Iran) reiterated Saturday his call for "dialogue" between the various political parties in order to break the deadlock in the country's presidential election, arguing that if they engaged in his proposed dialogue, they could elect a president "in less than 10 days." Berri's remarks were made in an interview published on Saturday by the Arabic-language daily al-Joumhouria.
"We can elect a president in less than 10 days through rational and objective dialogue …. Ultimately, we won't be able to escape the dialogue table and discussions to put an end" to the presidential vacuum, Berri added.
Lebanon has been without a head of state since the end of October 2022 when Michel Aoun's term of office expired. Since then, 12 electoral sessions have been held by Parliament but none have met with success due to a lack of political consensus on the future president.
Hezbollah and Berri's party the Amal Movement remain committed to Sleiman Frangieh's candidacy and are calling for a dialogue under the aegis of the head of parliament to break the deadlock.
Opposition parties continue to reject the proposed seven-day dialogue, followed by electoral sessions with successive rounds of voting.
Hezbollah has received $200 million from Iran to help Lebanese displaced by this year’s war with Israel, two people with direct knowledge of the transfer said, the first significant aid from the group to supporters who bore the brunt of the conflict.
Israelis will on Wednesday mark three years since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a military assault that destroyed much of Gaza, where conditions remain dire despite a year-old ceasefire that is meant to halt the war for good.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from October 21 to 23, his office said on Tuesday, in what will be the first dedicated bilateral visit to NATO ally Turkey by a Canadian leader.
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