In a surprise move , Michel Aoun, the former Lebanese president and Free Patriotic Movement founder headed to Syria on Tuesday to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Lebanese media reports .
He is accompanied by former minister Pierre Raffoul and was reportedly welcomed at the Lebanese-Syrian border by Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali.
As expected , there has been a lot of speculation about the timing of Aoun’s visit which comes two days after his son-in-law FPM leader Gebran Bassil decided to support the nomination of opposition candidate , former minister Jihad Azour as president .
Aoun’s visit also comes a day after Speaker Nabih Berri called for a June 14 presidential election session,
The only two serious candidates are Azour and Hezbollah’s candidate Suleiman Franjieh , a close friend of Assad .This will be the 12th session that the parliament tries to elect a new president . The last of which was held on January 19.
One media outlet speculated that Aoun’s visit is aimed at “the continuation of the relation of FPM and Assad) despite the fact that FPM decided not to back Franjieh.
He will reportedly try to explain that the issue is not Franjieh , the issue is the unity of the Christian community and the fact that Hezbollah is trying to force Franjieh on the community
“The elephant in the room is Hezbollah “, Ali Hussein a Lebanese political observer told ya Libnan
Others speculated that Aoun will try to use Assad for mediating between Hezbollah and FPM , because the presidential issue damaged the relations between them.
Some went as far as speculating that Aoun wants Syria. to replace Hezbollah in Lebanon 18 years after it was kicked out .
Hezbollah has reportedly been bullying FPM by pressuring many of its MPs to vote for Franjieh. Hezbollah also has been pressuring Bassil by offering his party several key positions in the government .
UPDATE : This is what Aoun’s office reported about his meeting with Assad
The media office of former President Michel Aoun announced in a statement that “President Michel Aoun visited Damascus today, Tuesday, accompanied by former Minister Pierre Raffoul, to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.”
During the meeting, President Aoun considered that “Syria’s return to the Arab League, changes in the Middle East, and Arab rapprochement are positive indicators that are in the interest of all Arab countries, just as Syria’s rise and prosperity will undoubtedly reflect well on Lebanon, and that the two countries must face difficulties together and build the future in cooperation.” between them.”
On the issue of the displaced Syrians, President Aoun briefed President al-Assad on the seriousness of the European position that refuses to return them to their country and seeks to integrate them into Lebanese society, which is pressing by various means to prevent this return under the pretext of protecting them from the “regime” in Syria.
On the Lebanese issue, President Aoun stressed, “the importance of national unity, and that the Lebanese are sticking to it despite all the confusion.”
For his part, President Al-Assad stressed, “President Aoun’s positive role in preserving the brotherly relationship between Lebanon and Syria for the benefit of the two countries.”
On the issue of the displaced, Al-Assad said, “Syria was and still is ready to receive its people, and this is an issue that takes place through communication and cooperation between the two countries.”
Al-Assad considered that Lebanon’s strength lies in its political and economic stability, and that the Lebanese are capable of creating this stability through dialogue and consensus, and that Lebanon’s stability is in the interest of Syria and the region in general.
He stressed that “his confidence is in the ability of the Lebanese to overcome all problems and challenges, and to dedicate the role of their national and constitutional institutions, and that Syria and Lebanon cannot look at their challenges separately from each other.”
But this is what the media is saying
“Lebanese Debate”
It reported that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad assured President Aoun that Syria would not interfere in internal Lebanese affairs and advised him to discuss internal matters with Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah”
It added: The meeting between former President Michel Aoun and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad today was limited to discussing matters in general without delving into the details of the Lebanese internal files, especially the presidential file.
A statement carried by Syria’s news agency SANA meanwhile said that Assad told Aoun that “the Lebanese can create their political and economic stability through dialogue and consensus, and most importantly through clinging to principles instead of betting on changes.”
Assad also expressed his “confidence in the ability of the Lebanese to overcome all problems and challenges,” the statement said.
This is a developing story more to follow
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