The Special Envoy of French President Emmanuel Macron, Jean-Yves Le Drian, held a series of meetings with Lebanese officials on Thursday, the second day of his mission to Beirut. The meetings are aimed to pave the way to a fruitful presidential election, eight months after the mandate of former president Michel Aoun has ended.
The former head of the Quai d’Orsay underlined that the aim of this first visit, which will be followed by another in July, is to “explore the situation in order to help find solutions to the crisis in Lebanon and to discuss with the various parties how to achieve the desired solution.”
Le Drian stressed that the parliament’s adoption of necessary reforms prepared by the government would give impetus to the hoped-for solutions. The French envoy’s statement raises the question of the legality of such reforms when voted for in the absence of a president.
Accompanied by the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo, the veteran diplomat kicked off his day with a meeting at the Grand Serail with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
The latter once again called for prompt presidential elections, a step that he sees as the beginning of a way out of the crisis.
From Bkirki, where Le Drian held lengthy talks with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, the French envoy said he will be talking with the various Lebanese parties.
“I will seek to draw up an agenda of reforms likely to give hope of a solution,” he declared. “I am not the bearer of any option. I will listen to everyone. The solution lies first and foremost with the Lebanese.” He also reiterated that France would continue to support Lebanon.
The French envoy was then received by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who stressed “the need for dialogue” while downplaying the importance of the call for dialogue launched by the Amal-Hezbollah duo.
“The call for dialogue is apparently a good one, but the presidential elections are not held through dialogue. We proposed several names to them [the March 8 camp], but they insisted on Sleiman Frangieh from the beginning,” Geagea said in an off-the-cuff conversation with journalists.
“Why are they calling for dialogue when all they want to do is try to convince us to [endorse] their candidate?” he asked.
Geagea also asserted that the opposition forces are “ready to agree on a candidate, but not according to the method currently undertaken by the Moumanaa camp (pro-Iranian axis), which is clinging to Frangieh’s candidacy.” He also pointed out that “dialogue has never been disrupted with French officials in the past” and that “Le Drian has not come to convince us to support Frangieh’s candidacy, nor has he put forward any other proposal.”
“Le Drian is working to find a solution,” Geagea said, adding that “he is as welcome as any other foreign representative, but the presidential elections are an internal issue that cannot be settled through dialogue. Hence, it is up to MPs and parliamentary groups to reach a solution.”
Macron’s special envoy was then received by the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, who stressed that only agreement between the country’s various components on the president’s profile and his program would lead to the election of a head of state. For his part, Le Drian asserted that his tour is aimed at ushering in “a new phase,” stressing once again the importance of inter-Lebanese dialogue.
