A meeting will be held next Saturday, at the head of the Lebanese Democratic Party, Talal Arslan’s residency, to include the head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, and the head of the Arab Unification Party, Wiam Wahhab. According to sources close to the three Druze parties, the meeting has two goals, the first, is to achieve a Druze reconciliation and turn the page on the Qabrshmoun and Shufiyat incidents between Jumblatt and Arslan, after a year of mutual dispute, during which Arslan refused a common resolvement of the Basateen and Choueifat incidents, insisting on agreeing on the Choueifat issue without the Al-Basateen incident. This meeting is expected to end the negative effects of Kfarhim incident that occurred two months ago between Jumblatt’s supporters and Wahhab’s supporters. Jumbulatt seeks through this meeting to unite opinion regarding the upcoming Druze election of the sect’s Sheikh Akl, after the rift that occurred as a result of the presence of two sheikhs, one representing Mukhtara and the second representing Khaldah and Jahiliyya.
And thus, the declared intentions point to arranging the Druze house and the completion of reconciliation before the storm of change that will blow over Lebanon, but each team has its own considerations. In the results, it can be said that Jumblatt will strengthen his leadership and the leadership of his son Timor within the sect, as he was the initiator of reconciliation and dialogue, and according to those familiar with the Druze community, such a move constitutes a great influence within the sect is in favor of the Socialist. On the other hand, Arslan and Wahhab benefit from Jumblatt’s announcement of his willingness for a settlement. Many analyses were built on this matter, accompanied by media hints that linked between this reconciliation and Jumblatt’s intentions, (based on weakness with the aim of returning to the Syrian side). In this regard, the Socialist has denied news about Timor’s intended visit to Syria. What was also remarkable, the timing of Arslan and Wahhab’s meeting with the Syrian ambassador at the Syrian embassy, which preceded Khalde’s meeting on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the relation with Assad, remains a settled issue for Jumblatt, as his sources confirm that any resuming of contacts with the current regime is out of question. In a response to what has been circulated regarding his visit to Syria Jumblatt said: “which Syria will we visit, The Iranian Syria, the Russian Syria, The Turkish Syria or the American Syria?”