The meeting of the ambassadors of the Five-nation group (United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt), which took place on Thursday at the residence of the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Beirut, Walid Bukhari, in Yarzé, did not bring forth any new developments regarding the presidential file.
According to well-informed sources, the meeting, which was not followed by an official statement, took the form of internal deliberation among the members of the group, with the aim of preparing for the upcoming meeting of officials from these countries responsible for the Lebanese presidential file. This meeting is expected to take place in Riyadh, Doha, or Paris and should be followed by a visit to Beirut by Jean-Yves Le Drian, the emissary of the President of the French Republic, during the second or third week of February.
In the Beirut meeting, ambassadors participated in a deliberation, sharing perspectives on the situations in Gaza and Southern Lebanon. The conversation encompassed those associating military developments with the presidential elections in Lebanon and those who did not see a direct relation between the two issues. Ambassadors reiterated the crucial importance of persisting efforts to secure a pacification in the region, especially to prevent the expansion of the war in Lebanon. Furthermore, they underscored the need to intensify efforts to foster consensus among Lebanese parties for the election of a president, deeming it a viable third option.
Based on the sources, the possibility of a tour by the Quintet ambassadors to meet with Lebanese leaderships is still on the table. However, specific details, including dates, have not been finalized. It was emphasized that the scheduling of this tour is contingent on logistical considerations, unrelated to any political gridlock or disagreements among committee members, as some have tried to imply, reasserting that each move made by the Quintet holds positives on the Lebanese level. Moreover, the accumulation of these positives should be embraced by all Lebanese parties that are required to bolster deliberations in order to ultimately lead MPs to head to Parliament, and stay until a president is elected.
The Quintet ambassadors will convey to those responsible for the Lebanese dossier, in their countries, the outcomes of the meeting held at the Saudi Ambassador's residence. A deliberation process will be conducted among these officials to determine the date and place for the upcoming meeting in the following days.
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