Report: Berri mounts efforts to reopen dialogue between Aoun and Hezbollah
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is mounting efforts to re-open lines of communication between President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah, in a bid to avert a looming "explosion", al-Akhbar newspaper reported Friday.
The pro-Hezbollah daily said Berri has been pressuring Aoun and Hezbollah to reconnect — so far without progress, amid Hezbollah's demands for the government to back down from its decision to ban the group's military activities.
Berri is also pushing for a comprehensive national dialogue under the President's auspices. The initiative, backed by former MP Walid Jumblat, aims to bring together domestic political factions to discuss key unresolved issues and forge internal solutions rather than relying on foreign ones.
However, President Aoun remains reluctant, al-Akhbar sources said.
Berri, Amal, and Walid are fools if they think that Aoun will cave and allow Hezbollah to retain possession of its weapons of war. Hezbollah could make no clearer statement or action than to start a civil war against the duly elected government of the Republic. Should they do so, the South would be conquered by Israel and the Shia would get behind the Palestinians in waiting for justice from the enemy. .. .. Stupid is as stupid does.