To Unify the Lebanese Position: Will Berri Bring Together Aoun and Hezbollah?

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri is pushing towards dialogues he considers essential to navigate the delicate phase Lebanon is currently undergoing. These efforts are no longer just newspaper talk; they were confirmed by Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab who spoke after the Bureau of Parliament meeting on Monday regarding the call for dialogue and Berri's position on it. He indicated that "the topic of a traditional roundtable dialogue clearly lacks interest or consensus for its establishment. President Berri proposes that there be side dialogues, meaning not just between two parties, but between every pair of parties where differences exist." Bou Saab added, "President Berri affirmed that we are facing many changes occurring from the US elections, election results, and the change in the Israeli government; all these topics are new to the region. What we heard from Berri was his wish that at least we unify our efforts and positions in Lebanon despite the differences, work for the interest of Lebanon, place this interest first, and be united in opinions."

But what is meant by bilateral dialogues? Sovereign political sources ask via "Markaziyeh," noting that this communication happens constantly, automatically, and almost daily between factions and MPs from various political orientations, even if it does not happen amidst media noise and strong media coverage. Hence, while confirming that any serious dialogues or discussions should take place within constitutional institutions, primarily the Parliament which holds Berri's keys, the sources say that Berri wants from this entire "structure" he proposed, to push towards a dialogue between Baabda and Hezbollah. This is the only bilateral dialogue he is pushing for and pressuring to occur.

The man does not want to break ties with either Aoun, having seen how flexible and responsive the latter is to his ideas, including not referring the Dahr al-Baydar explosives file to the Justice Council, nor with the Party, the soulmate in the Shia duo, due to calculations related to Shia unity first and his own political future second.

Hence, the sources continue, his aim is to bridge the gap between Baabda and Dahieh, reducing the embarrassment he sees himself in, and who knows, perhaps the three parties will turn into allies in the next phase if regional and international balances shift, especially after the US midterm election results. This is how Berri thinks today, the sources add, considering that restoring warmth to the Baabda-Haret Hreik line can keep the internal situation under control and in the manner desired by the Party. During their first dialogue, there was no pressure on the Party or removal of a single weapon from it. In his view, this situation can continue (and it already exists today) if dialogue resumes between Aoun and the Party. While the latter conditions the cancellation of cabinet decisions against the Party before any contact, Berri believes the Party can get what it wants simply by sitting again with the President...

This is Berri's goal in requesting dialogue. But the bigger question is: Does it align with Aoun's goals for the next phase?