Saudi Arabia is poised to spearhead the most significant presidential initiatives to date through a delegation scheduled to visit Beirut at the start of the new year. Led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faysal ben Farhane, this visit, as reported by the MTV channel, will signify the highest-level Saudi visit to Lebanon in 14 years.
MTV reports that in order to prepare for Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat’s arrival, its ambassador to Lebanon, Walid al-Bukhari, met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri away from the media. They agreed on a meeting scheduled for the second half of the current week.
Al-Bukhari’s visit follows Army Commander General Joseph Aoun’s visit to Saudi Arabia last week, while multiple Saudi sources stress that the kingdom is only interested in facilitating an agreement and has no interest in endorsing a presidential candidate.
The outcome of the meeting between Bukhari and Berri will hinge on the positions of the speaker of Parliament and the possibility of a change on his part, particularly regarding his opposition to the candidacy of the Army commander.
Nevertheless, as the Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea has yet to endorse any candidate, discussions and engagements between parliamentary blocs, especially those in the opposition, are scheduled to start on Thursday.
Indirect communications between Berri and Geagea will also be active between the start of the new year and the session date, according to the MTV website.
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