GEAGEA CRITICIZES PROPOSED DIALOGUE, STRESSES CONSTITUTIONAL ADHERENCE

Lebanese Forces party leader, Samir Geagea, on Tuesday released a statement challenging the call for an official dialogue led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. "Some claim that 86 MPs are ready to participate in an official dialogue chaired by President Berri. If this is true, why don't they act on their words and sit around the table as long as they wish under his chairmanship?" Geagea questioned. "For the Lebanese Forces and the opposition, what matters is the second phase involving the call for an open session with successive rounds until a president is elected. The first phase, to us, is unconstitutional,' Geagea added. The LF chief further highlighted that the Lebanese Forces and the opposition are in continuous dialogue, which has led to agreements on primary and secondary candidates. "We are also in open dialogue with the majority of parliamentary blocs, seeking to elect a president according to constitutional provisions. This dialogue is ongoing and far removed from any pompous displays or grandsta nding." "We will not, under any circumstances, participate in creating constitutional precedents through the formation of an official dialogue table before electing a president,' Geagea firmly stated. "We are in constant dialogue with other parliamentary blocs. Those seeking a theatrical dialogue for unconstitutional purposes are free to join it. However, the crucial step remains Speaker Berri's call for an open session with successive rounds until the president is elected. Had the constitution been adhered to from the beginning, we wouldn't have reached this point. Our country's situation has deteriorated due to the repeated breaches of the constitution and the adaptation to unconstitutional practices. It is no longer acceptable to continue on this declining path that has turned the state into a mere facade, the constitution into a viewpoint, and the nation into a battleground,' Geagea concluded. Source: National news agency - Lebanon