Bassil says 'open to everyone' to end presidential void

The Free Patriotic Movement is "open to everyone", its leader Jebran Bassil said during a dinner ceremony Tuesday.

"We are open to everyone to end the presidential void," Bassil said, adding that he is determined to continue his efforts to end the crisis in Lebanon through dialogue and consultations.

"We talk to people wherever we are," Bassil said. "We have never refused to talk to someone, and those who refuse to talk to others are weak," he added.

Crisis-hit Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022.

Both parties -- Amal-Hezbollah and the opposition -- accuse each other of refusing dialogue and of obstructing the presidential election.

The Lebanese Forces refuse a presidential dialogue chaired by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Bassil accepted to participate in Berri's dialogue.

In a bid to break the impasse, opposition lawmakers started their own initiative, announcing two suggestions to facilitate the election of a president. They met with the FPM's Strong Lebanon bloc and other lawmakers, while Amal and Hezbollah MPs cancelled their scheduled meetings with the opposition.

Bassil in his speech paid homage to the "martyrs" in south Lebanon, although he said he does not agree on the offensive strategy but rather on a defensive strategy. "They are dying as martyrs, and if they hadn't done so, Israel would have invaded us," he said.

Hezbollah has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces in support of Hamas since the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on southern Israel triggered war in the Gaza Strip.

The violence since October has killed at least 518 people in Lebanon. Most of the dead have been fighters, but they have included at least 104 civilians.