By Xinhua
Beirut : Leaders of Lebanese pro-government ruling coalition and pro-Syrian opposition are discussing a presidential list presented by Maronite Christian Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in a bid to agree on a compromise candidate before the Nov. 21 parliamentary session, local media reported on Sunday.
Leader of Lebanon’s parliamentary majority Saad al-Hariri and Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri held a meeting on Saturday to mull on the list of candidates submitted by Sfeir, the report said.
A joint statement released after their meeting described the atmosphere of their talks as positive, adding that both sides “boosted the chances of consensus on the presidency.”
French charge d’affaires Andre Parant said Patriarch Sfeir submitted the list on Friday to Berri and Hariri but he didn’t give the details of the lineup.
Lebanese media gave different editions of the list, ranging from six to 12 names. But all the editions contain the following three candidates, namely lawmaker Boutros Harb and former lawmaker Nassib Lahoud endorsed by the ruling coalition known as March 14, and former army commander Michel Aoun supported by the opposition led by Hezbollah.
A compromise successor to the incumbent President Emile Lahoud is crucial to defusing the one-year crisis as the parliament is due to meet on Nov. 21, only two days before Lahoud’s term runs out on Nov. 24.
The 128-seat parliament, in which the ruling coalition has a slim majority, failed to meet two times to choose a successor to Lahoud.
Many fear that failure to reach a deal on the presidential candidate could result in power vacuum in the country or even lead to two rival governments.