Saeb Salam narrates the details of the end of the “Shehabi rule”

In the last episode of his memoirs published by “Al-Sharq al-Awsat” today, the late Lebanese Prime Minister Saeb Salam tells the story of the negotiations that ended with the election of Suleiman Franjieh as President of the Republic in Lebanon in 1970, ending the “Shehab regime” represented by President Fouad Shehab, revealing that the Egyptian negative attitude towards His return was one of the main factors behind his reluctance to run.

Salam says that on July 28, 1970, “I called for an evening meeting, which was attended by many representatives and activists, including Kamel Al-Assaad, Kamal Jumblatt, and Taqi Al-Din Al-Solh. During that meeting, we reviewed many of the nominated names, and then suddenly and without introductions, the name of Suleiman Franjieh was presented.” He adds: «We therefore returned to the same cylinder, a cylinder that if I support Shehab, I guarantee the presidency of the government. And here I found it necessary to go back, myself, to repeating my records that they know: I made them understand that I am not one who aspires to chairs or chairs.”

Salam tells that Rashid Karami went to Cairo to obtain its final opinion on the matter, and that the failure of Karami’s trip was the direct reason for Chehab’s issuance on the night of August 4, a statement declaring his reluctance to run. He continues: “Everything went as we wanted, and the elections took place on August 17, and our candidate Suleiman Franjieh won (…) I felt a sense of relief, but I also felt that new battles awaited me.”
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