On Tuesday, former prime ministers Saad Hariri, Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora, and Tammam Salam took a united stand to reject the President’s invitation to the Baabda dialogue, declaring the talks “a waste of time.”
The boycotting position appears to now extend to include leaders of political parties. The head of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Frangieh, prompted to declare the same stance.
On Wednesday, the head of the Lebanese Forces’ party, Samir Geagea, announced as well that he will not be attending the Baabda talks, joining the line up of politicians boycotting President Aoun’s national dialogue meeting, set to take place on Thursday, June 25th.
“We will not take part in a meeting only aimed at throwing ashes in the eyes. The Lebanese people are in disagreement with the authority because of what it brought us to,” Geagea said in a televised press conference on Wednesday, reported Naharnet.
MP Sami Gemayel, leader of the Kataeb party, has also taken a similar stance, declaring in a press conference that the title of the Baabda dialogue is out of place and that the talks should be about the real issues Lebanon is facing.
Gemayel stated that he would be ready to meet if the dialogue tackles the issues of “sovereignty, and rejecting any military system outside the framework of the state, restricting weapons to be controlled only by the army.”
In addition, former President of Lebanon Emile Lahoud will not be attending.
According to a source of The Daily Star from Baabda, the national meeting will take place despite the boycotts and the absence of many important national political leaders.
In consonance with the opposition of the Baabda talks, which are growing tensions among political parties, people of the revolution are calling for demonstrations on June 25th to demand reforms and the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab and President Michel Aoun.
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