Finally Hezbollah chief may speak out about LF-FPM reconciliation

The Iranian backed Hezbollah militant group  will  reportedly break its   silence on the latest rapprochement between the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement on Friday.

A statement said that Hezbollah leader  Hassan Nasrallah will  speak up on the presidential election  during a televised address at 8:30 pm Friday

Since LF chief Samir Geagea’s endorsement of  the  presidential candidacy of  former FPM leader  MP Michel Aoun earlier this month, there has been speculation that Hezbollah  no longer considers the lawmaker its candidate for the presidency.

Aoun and Nasrallah have been allied since 2006   but several parties in the March 8 alliance that is led by Hezbollah are rejecting the lawmaker’s candidacy and are instead backing Marada chief MP Suleiman Franjieh .

Hezbollah has  remained silent and did not issue any official statement since the meeting that took place in Maarab between longtime rivals Aoun and Geagea .

An Nahar daily reported on   Tuesday that  a Hezbollah delegation led by senior security official Wafiq Safa visited Aoun and reiterated the party’s adamant stance in backing him for the top state post.

An Nahar said that Safa has restated “the party’s unwavering backing for Aoun even if the Marada chief MP Suleiman Franjieh remained a candidate.”

But An Nahar also quoted sources of the FPM and allies as saying they  “will not participate in a parliament session that does not guarantee to get Aoun to the post,” and that this stance “has been coordinated with Hezbollah following the Maarab rapprochement.”

“Hezbollah’s positions has not changed on nominating Aoun. It is useless to wait for a statement from Hezbollah  declaring otherwise. The words of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah were clear in that regard and he has reiterated more than once that the party’s candidate is Aoun.” The sources were quoted as telling An Nahar

The 35th parliament session has been scheduled for February 8 to elect a successor to former  President Michel Suleiman  whose term ended in May 2014  .