I Didn”t Carry a Message from Syria, Suleiman Has the Right to Visit Any Country
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun denied on Saturday that he carried a message from Syria to President Michel Suleiman and said the Lebanese head of state has the right to visit any country he wants.
Following his more than one hour talks with Suleiman at Baabda palace, Aoun told reporters that he didn”t carry a message from Syria. The MP met with Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier in the week.
The FPM leader also said that Suleiman has the "constitutional right" to visit any country he wants after criticism by some pro-Syrian forces of the Lebanese president”s trip to Washington on Saturday.
Suleiman is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday.
Aoun told reporters that he had identical points of view with Suleiman and denied the president was biased. The head of state is committed to the presidential oath, the lawmaker stressed.
Asked about a request by a Syrian court for 25 Lebanese figures, including the police chief and top prosecutor, to appear for questioning, Aoun said the demand is a "judicial issue."
An Nahar daily quoted FPM sources as saying that Aoun could possibly visit Saudi Arabia. Sources following up the MP”s meetings said that during his visit to Syria, Aoun brought up the issue of his trip to Riyadh hoping Assad would lay the ground for it.