Hariri Meets Aoun and still back Franjigh's nomination

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri held a much-anticipated meeting with Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun in Rabieh on Friday, shortly after he held talks in Maarab with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

The former premier was accompanied by his adviser Nader Hariri and the meeting was attended by FPM chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, state-run National News Agency reported.

Following talks with Hariri earlier in the day, Geagea had announced that the “the gap has started to narrow” regarding the presidential file.

“The meeting tackled things thoroughly and we extensively discussed the presidential issue,” the LF leader said.

“Do not expect a final stance from ex-PM Hariri soon but this is the beginning of the road,” Geagea added, noting that he is “certainly more optimistic today” than he was yesterday.

The LF leader also reiterated that “Hizbullah does not want a president or the election of Aoun as president,” while stressing that the LF will continue to back Aoun's nomination.

Asked whether Hariri would visit Aoun later in the day, Geagea laughingly responded that that depends on the outcome of the Maarab meeting.

Since Monday, Hariri has met with Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, Kataeb Party leader MP Sami Gemayel, Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat and Speaker Nabih Berri.

The ex-PM's return to Lebanon on Saturday has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the he has finally decided to endorse Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.

Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

Hariri's move prompted Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties.

The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.