Frangieh: I Won’t Attend any Parliamentary Session Boycotted by Hezbollah

Monday, 1 February 2016

Frangieh: I Won’t Attend any Parliamentary Session Boycotted by Hezbollah

The leader of Lebanese al-Marada Movement, MP Sleiman Frangieh, stressed on Sunday that he did not give any guarantee to former PM Saad Hariri during the well-known Paris meeting last November.

Meanwhile, he assured that his bloc won’t attend any parliamentary session boycotted by Hezbollah MPs.

During a meeting with a number of Lebanese reporters at his residence in the northern town of Bneshaai, Frangieh said that the agreement with Hariri in Paris was written down by Culture Minister, Raymond Araiji.

Al-Marada leader said during Sunday meeting that Hezbollah Secretary General, Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah knew of the Paris meeting before it took place, but noted that Sayyed Nasrallah was “cautious over sincerity of Hariri’s nomination (of Frangieh).”

“My point of view was that we would go to meet Hariri and listen to his proposal, and that what I said to Sayyed Nasrallah,” Frangieh said.

Following the meeting with Hariri, Frangieh contacted Hezbollah officials and talked about the points discussed in Paris, Frangieh said, stressing: “I did not give Hariri any guarantee about any issue.”

Meanwhile, al-Marada leader noted that Paris meeting provided for the election of Frangieh and that the prime minister will be from March 14 camp.

“Hariri did not introduced himself as a candidate for prime ministry, but said that the next PM should be from his political camp,” Frangieh said, adding the two men agreed that guaranteeing third, or the so-called obstructive third, should not be set as a condition.

“When Hariri asked for guarantees that the next government will not be toppled by (March 8 camp), I answered him that the only guarantee is the way you behave,” Frangieh said, referring to the guaranteeing third.

On the other hand, Frangieh said he told Hariri that he (Frangieh) won’t abandon his allies in March 8, as well as his principles.

“I won’t abandon neither Hezbollah, nor President Bahsar al-Assad.”