Islam Times - Jumblatt warns Saud al-Faisal against Aoun

Islam Times - Progressive Socialist Party leader and MP, Walid Jumblatt met earlier this week in Paris with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal in the French capital to discuss Lebanon political future.

The MP is said to have warned Prince Faisal against Michel Aoun’s move toward the presidency - former Lebanese Army Commander and now a politician and leader of the Free Patriotic Movement –

MP Walid Jumblatt said Friday his party’s nominee, Henry Helou, could be an acceptable compromise candidate, opposing the candidacies of long-time rivals Samir Geagea and MP Michel Aoun.

Even when Aoun has sought to rise above Lebanon’s political battle for the presidency, Jumblatt has been determined not to allow Aoun to stand as a consensus candidate.

As it happens Saad Hariri will not order his parliamentary bloc to vote for Michel Aoun as previously rumoured; news which will undoubtedly please MP Jumblatt since he has worked hard to discredit the former military commander as a viable candidate.

The formation of Tammam Salam’s government revealed a shared desire by Hezbollah and Hariri, backed by Iran and Saudi Arabia, to contain the threat of sectarian conflict in Lebanon. That imperative is as relevant today as it was several months ago, and any effort by Aoun to undermine it is likely to upset both Hezbollah and the Future Movement.