Berri: Grant Me Ten Days of Dialogue to Achieve Presidential Election Progress

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has warned of the severe consequences threatening security and stability in the Middle East due to Israel's ongoing conflict with the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, which has persisted for over nine months. He dismissed the likelihood of a large-scale Israeli aggression against Lebanon.

In an interview with the Italian Catholic newspaper "Avvenire," Berri emphasized the urgent need to end Israel’s "extermination war" against the Palestinian people, asserting that halting the war is crucial to easing regional tensions.

Berri highlighted that Lebanon does not require new agreements to restore peace and stability along its borders. Instead, he called for the international community to press Israel to comply with Security Council Resolution 1701, to which Lebanon is already committed, and to stop violating its terms.

Addressing Lebanon's ongoing political crisis, which is marked by a presidential vacuum, Berri proposed a ten-day dialogue among all parliamentary blocs to achieve progress on this matter. He suggested that this dialogue should result in an agreement on one, two, three, or even four candidates to be presented to Parliament, thereby facilitating the election with a constitutional and national quorum.

He praised the strong relations and friendship with the Holy See, noting the Vatican's significant focus on electing a new Lebanese president, as expressed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin during his visit to Lebanon. Berri anticipated that Pope Francis would visit Lebanon following the presidential election.

Regarding the Israeli Knesset's rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state, Berri commented that while the Israeli stance is not surprising, the real surprise would be if the war against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank were to end. He described the situation in the West Bank as a "mini-Gaza" and criticized the international community and proponents of a two-state solution for failing to secure the Palestinians' legitimate rights to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, labeling them as deceptive.

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