BEIRUT: Suleiman Franjieh, the candidate for the Lebanese presidency backed by Hezbollah, said on Tuesday that the “game has changed in the region, and this will be reflected in one way or another in Lebanon.”
He added that his goal “is not power, but to be a president who leaves his mark.”
Lebanon has had no head of state since former President Michel Aoun’s term ended at the end of October.
Franjieh made a surprise visit to Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi at his headquarters in Bkerke, and made a statement for the first time following Hezbollah’s pledged support for his candidacy.
Franjieh — an ally of the Syrian regime and a friend of President Bashar Assad — described the meeting with Al-Rahi as “extremely frank and clear.”
He said that it was necessary to “join the settlement train in the region and not [be] outside it, unlike what happened in 1989-1990 when some [politicians] remained outside the settlement and the Christians paid the price.”
Franjieh said that he had visited France and met officials there who had played a mediating role in the Lebanese crisis.
He said his visit to France raised a number of questions and gave rise to discussions on several topics.
He added: “I was asked about supporting reforms and the relationship with the International Monetary Fund — and they are in contact with Saudi Arabia — and I confirmed that it is obvious that we proceed with reforms, support the agreement with the IMF and any government that has a reform program.”
Franjieh went on to say: “I heard the veto on my name from the Lebanese media, but I never heard it from Saudi Arabia or its friends and allies.
“I am ready for dialogue with everyone, and we must join the settlement train in the region.
“I call on all politicians to understand how things are moving. We only want the best for the Arabs and Saudi Arabia.
“I was born in a pan-Arab home, and I did not have any hostile view of any country that is friendly with Lebanon, especially Saudi Arabia.
“We want the best for the Arabs and we do not accept that anyone attacks the Arab countries.”
Franjieh said that his relationship with Assad and Hezbollah had been for the benefit of the country.
He added that the issue of Syrian refugees was being dealt with in a way that would lead to their return to Syria.
He added: “The obstruction of the return of the Syrian refugees was never Syrian, but European and Western.”
He pointed out that “President Assad was never against their return.”
Franjieh said: “We are in favor of discussing a defense strategy that is in the interests of Lebanon and removes everyone’s concerns.”
Franjieh heads the Marada Movement. He won a seat as a politician in 1991 and was then the youngest MP in parliament. He was subsequently elected for three successive terms in 1992, 1996 and 2000.
Franjieh, 57, has participated in the government more than once, and was minister of health in the Rafic Hariri Cabinet of 1996.
His grandfather is the late President Suleiman Franjieh, and his father is the former MP and minister, Tony Franjieh.
Hezbollah’s candidate for Lebanon’s presidency hails talks with Maronite patriarch after surprise visit to Bkerke
https://arab.news/5fg44
Hezbollah’s candidate for Lebanon’s presidency hails talks with Maronite patriarch after surprise visit to Bkerke
- Suleiman Franjieh: ‘We only want the best for the Arabs and Saudi Arabia’
- Franjieh made a surprise visit to Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi at his headquarters in Bkerke
Syrian army pushes into Aleppo district after Kurdish groups reject withdrawal
- Two Syrian security officials told Reuters the ceasefire efforts had failed and that the army would seize the neighborhood by force
ALEPPO, Syria: The Syrian army said it would push into the last Kurdish-held district of Aleppo city on Friday after Kurdish groups there rejected a government demand for their fighters to withdraw under a ceasefire deal.
The violence in Aleppo has brought into focus one of the main faultlines in Syria as the country tries to rebuild after a devastating war, with Kurdish forces resisting efforts by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s Islamist-led government to bring their fighters under centralized authority.
At least nine civilians have been killed and more than 140,000 have fled their homes in Aleppo, where Kurdish forces are trying to cling on to several neighborhoods they have run since the early days of the war, which began in 2011.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Standoff pits government against Kurdish forces
• Sharaa says Kurds are ‘fundamental’ part of Syria
• More than 140,000 have fled homes due to unrest
• Turkish, Syrian foreign ministers discuss Aleppo by phone
ِA ceasefire was announced by the defense ministry overnight, demanding the withdrawal of Kurdish forces to the Kurdish-held northeast. That would effectively end Kurdish control over the pockets of Aleppo that Kurdish forces have held.
CEASEFIRE ‘FAILED,’ SECURITY OFFICIALS SAY
But in a statement, Kurdish councils that run Aleppo’s Sheikh Maksoud and Ashrafiyah districts said calls to leave were “a call to surrender” and that Kurdish forces would instead “defend their neighborhoods,” accusing government forces of intensive shelling.
Hours later, the Syrian army said that the deadline for Kurdish fighters to withdraw had expired, and that it would begin a military operation to clear the last Kurdish-held neighborhood of Sheikh Maksoud.
Two Syrian security officials told Reuters the ceasefire efforts had failed and that the army would seize the neighborhood by force.
The Syrian defense ministry had earlier carried out strikes on parts of Sheikh Maksoud that it said were being used by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to launch attacks on the “people of Aleppo.” It said on Friday that SDF strikes had killed three army soldiers.
Kurdish security forces in Aleppo said some of the strikes hit a hospital, calling it a war crime. The defense ministry disputed that, saying the structure was a large arms depot and that it had been destroyed in the resumption of strikes on Friday.
It posted an aerial video that it said showed the location after the strikes, and said secondary explosions were visible, proving it was a weapons cache.
Reuters could not immediately verify the claim.
The SDF is a powerful Kurdish-led security force that controls northeastern Syria. It says it withdrew its fighters from Aleppo last year, leaving Kurdish neighborhoods in the hands of the Kurdish Asayish police.
Under an agreement with Damascus last March the SDF was due to integrate with the defense ministry by the end of 2025, but there has been little progress.
FRANCE, US SEEK DE-ESCALATION
France’s foreign ministry said it was working with the United States to de-escalate.
A ministry statement said President Emmanuel Macron had urged Sharaa on Thursday “to exercise restraint and reiterated France’s commitment to a united Syria where all segments of Syrian society are represented and protected.”
A Western diplomat told Reuters that mediation efforts were focused on calming the situation and producing a deal that would see Kurdish forces leave Aleppo and provide security guarantees for Kurds who remained.
The diplomat said US envoy Tom Barrack was en route to Damascus. A spokesperson for Barrack declined to comment. Washington has been closely involved in efforts to promote integration between the SDF — which has long enjoyed US military support — and Damascus, with which the United States has developed close ties under President Donald Trump.
The ceasefire declared by the government overnight said Kurdish forces should withdraw by 9 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Friday, but no one withdrew overnight, Syrian security sources said.
Barrack had welcomed what he called a “temporary ceasefire” and said Washington was working intensively to extend it beyond the 9 a.m. deadline. “We are hopeful this weekend will bring a more enduring calm and deeper dialogue,” he wrote on X.
TURKISH WARNING
Turkiye views the SDF as a terrorist organization linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party and has warned of military action if it does not honor the integration agreement.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking on Thursday, expressed hope that the situation in Aleppo would be normalized “through the withdrawal of SDF elements.”
Though Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda commander who belongs to the Sunni Muslim majority, has repeatedly vowed to protect minorities, bouts of violence in which government-aligned fighters have killed hundreds of Alawites and Druze have spread alarm in minority communities over the last year.
The Kurdish councils in Aleppo said Damascus could not be trusted “with our security and our neighborhoods,” and that attacks on the areas aimed to bring about displacement.
Sharaa, in a phone call with Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani on Friday, affirmed that the Kurds were “a fundamental part of the Syrian national fabric,” the Syrian presidency said.
Neither the government nor the Kurdish forces have announced a toll of casualties among their fighters from the recent clashes.
