Franjieh Meets Hariri, Hints at Possible Electoral Alliance

Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday and hinted at a possible electoral alliance with the premier's al-Mustaqbal Movement.

“The meeting with PM Saad Hariri was friendly and we will not be away from each other in the elections. We discussed the previous period and the upcoming period and we agreed on most issues,” said Franjieh after meeting Hariri at the Center House.

“We hope the positive atmosphere will continue in the coming period and we should not pounce on each other at the first mistake,” the Marada leader added.

Asked about the relation with the Lebanese Forces, Franjieh said: “Today, we are not in an alliance with the LF but rather in a dialogue with them. We are still evaluating things and we have said that we have turned the page on the past. When elections come, we will see how to secure the election of the biggest number of Marada MPs.”

As for Lebanon's dissociation policy, Franjieh said the controversial visit by an Iraqi militia commander to the Lebanese-Israeli border “is related to Resolution 1701, not to dissociation towards Arab states.”

“When we mention violations of Resolution 1701, let us count how many violations Israel carries out in one year. I wish some Lebanese would react to Israel's violations the same way they did towards this violation,” Franjieh added.

“It was noteworthy that those who made a violent reaction had been allies of Israel in the past,” he went on to say.