Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea endorsed the candidacy of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun for the presidency of Lebanon. This move came as a surprise to most observers for two reasons:

1. Samir Geagea was a candidate for the presidency himself
2. Samir Geagea and Michel Aoun were on opposing sides during the Lebanese Civil War

News website Now Lebanon wrote that “the move comes after Future Movement leader Saad Hariri [son of a former prime minister] moved to support Marada chief Suleiman Franjieh [grandson of a previous president]”, portraying Geagea's decision as an almost expected reaction to Hariri's and describing it as a “political bombshell”.

Natasha Bertrand

In a meeting with members of Syria's opposition in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, US Secretary of State John Kerry demanded that rebels accept a set of preconditions dictated by Russia and Iran in order to participate in peace talks, according to an explosive report by the daily pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat.

The terms Kerry reportedly asked the opposition Saudi-backed High Negotiation Committee (HNC) to accept — including a "national unity government" instead of a transitional governing body that would phase President Bashar al-Assad out of power — represent "a scary retreat in the US position," opposition sources told the head of Al Hayat's Damascus bureau, Ibrahim Hamidi.

Natasha Bertrand

In a meeting with members of Syria's opposition in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, US Secretary of State John Kerry demanded that rebels accept a set of preconditions dictated by Russia and Iran in order to participate in peace talks, according to an explosive report by the daily pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat.

The terms Kerry reportedly asked the opposition Saudi-backed High Negotiation Committee (HNC) to accept — including a "national unity government" instead of a transitional governing body that would phase President Bashar al-Assad out of power — represent "a scary retreat in the US position," opposition sources told the head of Al Hayat's Damascus bureau, Ibrahim Hamidi.

Cheikh Karl el Khazen Profile

Cheikh KARL EL KHAZEN

Education
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA GAINESVILLE, USA
Master of Science, Business Administration and Management (MSc), Hough Graduate School of Business. Concentration in Finance. Expected GPA (3.75/4.0)
Focus Courses: Asset valuation, risk and return-Capital structure and risk management-Special topics
in Investments-Mergers and acquisitions-Study in valuation