Lara Yazbek wrote in Markazia:
The head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Representative Gebran Bassil, informed the French officials, whom he was able, through Qatari mediation, to meet with in Paris in the past hours, of whom he did not want as president of the republic, but he did not tell them who he wanted! This “orange” loss, according to what political sources opposed to Markazia, indicates that the man was unable to market himself or his candidacy abroad. In any case, his evasion from the issue of his support, to the demand for a broad settlement, including the presidential elections, an understanding of the form of the government, its president and its tasks, indicates that he failed to extract Western approval – which must start from France, to lead the international movement concerned with the Lebanese file – On his support in the race to Baabda Palace.
In light of this failure, the sources indicate that the next step that Basil will take, at home, must be monitored the day following his return to Beirut. The man, who strongly refused to support the head of the Marada Movement, Suleiman Franjieh, as he said in his probably deliberately leaked audio recording, and also rejected, according to cross-cutting information, the candidacy of the army commander, General Joseph Aoun, will sit once more with Hezbollah. Will Basil agree with him on a candidate put forward by the president? the current? Or will the latter separate from Hezbollah’s presidential path and continue the campaign to the elections alone, by running for himself or by naming another “consensual” candidate, who said yesterday that he is still looking for him? It is certain that Hezbollah went along with Basil a lot on the issue of the white paper, and gave him the necessary time to try to “tighten his situation” abroad and internally, but the suburb must also satisfy its second ally Franjieh, who, in turn, absorbed Hezbollah’s delay, but on the condition that this assimilation ends, with his support .
Yesterday, the Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, explained that the party has not yet announced the candidate for the presidency for which it will vote, “as we desire to give more time to dialogue with the various political forces and the various parliamentary blocs, so that we can choose the appropriate president with cooperation and participation.” Pointing out that “the white paper that we put in the ballot box is a positive sign and opens the way for an agreement.” He said, “We do not want to maneuver, as some of them did by putting forward a name for burning as a way of expressing the real choice they want,” stressing that the party supports the election of a president as soon as possible, “provided that it possesses the characteristics that make it the owner of a political and economic choice that is consistent with a strong, independent Lebanon that is not affiliated, and then we deal with it.” Other problems with different understandings. He said, “The majority of deputies in the current parliament agree with us on the president’s specifications, but there is a difference in applying these specifications to some individuals, yet the matter needs more discussion and dialogue.”
If the party wants to give time for dialogue, and this dialogue is not between all blocs as much as it is between the party, Basil and Franjieh.. Will the party inform Basil that this time has run out? And will we see the party soon, in light of Basil’s path faltering and his intransigence towards Franjieh, emerging from his grayness and moving from the white paper to voting for the Marada president, whatever Basil’s position on this vote ?!