Hezbollah Deputy Chief Sheikh Naim Qassem stated that the Lebanese resistance party is following up on developments related to maritime deal and extraction of Lebanon’s gas and oil.
In an interview with Al-Nour radio station, Sheikh Qassem stressed that the issue of Lebanon’s maritime wealth is not linked to the presidential elections.
He noted that some of Hezbollah’s rivals bet that the resistance party would lose popularity in the 2022 parliamentary elections.
“However, the results were surprising for them as Hezbollah got 15 seats in the Parliament, two more than the seats earned in 2018 vote.”
The Hezbollah senior official said, meanwhile, that ex-president Michel Aoun faced exceptional challenges during his term including the US campaign aimed at changing the political course in Lebanon, 2019 protests, economic collapse, COVID-19 and the Syrian refugees.
Presidential Elections
Sheikh Qassem noted, in this context, that Hezbollah is exerting efforts to elect a new president as soon as possible, underling importance of holding a national dialogue that prioritize a plan to deal with the economic crisis.
“We want a new president who is capable to communicate with all internal and external sides, whose priority is the economic salvation, and who doesn’t subdue to the foreign dictations.”
“Can we have an economic salvation without having a head of state?”, Sheikh Qassem wondered, calling for fastening presidential elections and forming a new government.
UNIFIL Incident and Relation with FPM
Sheikh Qassem affirmed, meanwhile, that the UNIFIL incident in the southern town of Al-Aqbiyeh, in which an Irish peacekeeper died and three others were injured, is occasional and no political aim behind.
He also stressed Hezbollah’s keenness to preserve the relation with the Free Patriotic Movement.
“The MoU with the FP, needs to be developed in order to define the nature of the problem. Hezbollah and the FPM know that this MoU serves the national interest,” Sheikh Qassem told Al-Nour, noting that contacts between the two sides are ongoing.
Iran-Saudi Talks
On the other hand, the Hezbollah senior official stated that meetings between representatives of Iran and Saudi Arabia are still in its first stage, noting that their major goal is to organize the bilateral ties.
“The talks neither aim at negotiating the situation in Lebanon, Yemen nor Syria.”
“Whoever bets that Iran-Saudi talks will end up in a Lebanese president is mistaken.”
Source: Al-Manar English Website
