Kerry Not Sure if Hariri's Support of Aoun Will Lead to New President

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed caution on Friday regarding the possibility of electing a new president in Lebanon in the near future, a day after ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency.

In response to a reporter's question during Washington talks with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah, Kerry hoped there will be progress in Lebanon but noted that he is not sure about the outcome of Hariri's move.

"This stalemate on the issue of the presidency is hurting Lebanon and hurts the region and we hope it will move forward," Kerry added.

Lebanese Forces bloc MP George Adwan later tweeted that Kerry's statements "prove that the presidential juncture is Lebanese par excellence," noting that "his skepticism increases Aoun's chances."

In a speech on Thursday, Hariri described his decision to endorse Aoun as a “major political risk” that he is willing to take for the sake of the country.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.

Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.