Jumblat Fears 2nd Hariri Step Down, Says He WantsTaymour to follow in his Grandfather”s Footsteps
Druze leader Walid Jumblat feared that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri would abandon a second bid to form a national unity government and said he was preparing his son, Taymour, to follow in his grandfather”s footsteps.
The daily Al-Akhbar said Jumblat”s remarks were made during a meeting with Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah that was also attended by Taymour.
It said Jumblat has pledged to coordinate with Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri "in the coming days" to avoid adverse fallout, while Nasrallah stressed that Hizbullah will intensify talks with the Free Patriotic Movement to "contribute to undoing part of the knots."
In an interview published Monday by As-Safir newspaper, Jumblat stressed the importance of his second meeting with Nasrallah on Friday evening "which has achieved further progress on the road to rebuilding confidence" between him and the Hizbullah leader.
He said Taymour”s participation in the meeting was part of his wish that his son meets "a key symbol of struggle and resistance," a reference to Nasrallah.
"I want Taymour to walk on the path of Mukhtara as painted by Kamal Jumblat," Jumblat said.
"I want him to be committed to walking in the footsteps of his grandfather. "When the time comes, Taymour would know that the road to Mukhtara will remain the road to Pan-Arabism and Palestine," he added.