Geagea explains why he rejected the deal involving Franjieh’s election as president

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea confirmed that he has rejected proposals for the election of Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh as president in return for the appointment of Nawaf Salam , as prime minister

Explaining the reasons behind his refusal to nominate Franjieh: If he becomes president, he will rule based on the force that he relied on to reach the presidency, which is Hezbollah and its allies.”

Franjieh Salam deal Born dead

The so-called Franjieh-for-Salam presidential settlement proposal was “born dead,” political sources deeply involved in the presidential file have reported according ad-Diyar newspaper

The proposal was not accepted by any political party and was not “seriously discussed,” Ad-Diyar sources reported

The presidential chances of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun have also plunged, because “major obstacles” stand in the way of his nomination, the sources added.

Media reports said that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement had agreed to a French proposal calling for electing Suleiman Franjieh as president in return for the appointment of Lebanon’s ex-ambassador to the U.N. Nawaf Salam as prime minister.

Geagea, said that he was not surprised by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s adoption of the nomination of the Franjieh, stressing that “he was aware, since the beginning of the constitutional deadline for electing a president of the republic six months ago, that Franjieh was the only serious candidate of Hezbollah , Berri and their allies

And he pointed out, in an interview with “Independent Arabia”, that “based on that, our reaction was to reject the artificial calls for dialogue, on the grounds that it would be a waste of time as long as the other party adheres to its candidate, and the biggest evidence is what was stated by Berri.”

Geagea was referring to the mediation of Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt , with “Hezbollah” and Berri, in addition to the indirect dialogue talks between Bkirki, Berri and “Hezbollah”.
He stressed that “these dialogues did not lead to a result because Hezbollah and its allies only want Franjieh, while the opposition announced repeatedly that it is not sticking the candidacy of MP Michel Moawad, in the event that another name that meets the specifications of Moawad who can secure 65 votes is put forward.

Geagea ruled out, in response to a question, any possibility for Hezbollah to back down from Franjieh’s support, but “if the party decides to , it will choose a candidate who has no taste, no color, no position, no personality, In such a case we will take the same position stressing that the real problem for Lebanon is Hezbollah’s rejection of a serious, de facto president for Lebanon.”.

He did not deny that he had received offers to back Franieh

“More than one internal and external side attempted to “persuade me to accept Franjieh for the presidency of the republic, in return for a prime minister who is close to the opposition, which I refused.”

Geagea stated, “When the negotiators asked me why I rejected Franjieh, I explained that the problem is not with the person of the head of the Marada movement, but rather that it lies in taking steps that exacerbate the crisis instead of resolving it. If Franjieh becomes president, he will rule based on the power he relied on to reach the presidency Hezbollah and its allies.
When asked if he would accept Franjieh’s support if the latter pledged to implement a reform plan that enjoys an international guarantee, Geagea affirmed that this hypothesis is “far from reality, especially since Franjieh is committed to a specific line and all the data and facts over the past years prove that.”

In response to a question, does he prefer chaos or Franjieh?
Geageasaid, “The opposition is unified in approaching the presidential elections and in its position on Franjieh’s candidacy. Bringing an actual president to Lebanon will take a long time, and after everything we have achieved, we will not accept to vote except for a real and capable president.”

Many observer view Franjieh as another Michel Aoun. The former president was imposed by Hezbollah, because the Iranian backed militant group could count on him for providing it with the Christian cover to do whatever it wanted in Lebanon and the region . Aoun whose term ended last October has been proclaimed as Lebanon’s worst ever president