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Information indicates that the five states of the Paris meeting – France, USA, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt – have urged the relevant parties on the eve of parliamentary session on Wednesday, June 14 to push for the election of a president. If all attempts fail, the events that will transpire will be “nothing like” the ones that already took place.
In this same context, some data indicated that the USA, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are pushing for the election of Jihad Azour. The French are not opposed to it, but have chosen not to notify their Lebanese peers, including Hezbollah, of their agreement. In fact, France wants to keep all the options open, in case no settlement is reached on Wednesday.
According to some sources, Saudi officials working on the Lebanese issue have praised Jihad Azour for his experience and relations that would, according to them, put Lebanon back on track and restore its appeal vis-à-vis the region and internationally. Paradoxically, the Kingdom does not deem any other candidate fit for the presidency. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia has given full freedom to the Lebanese MPs to decide, in order to go in the right direction and guarantee the country’s future.
According to that information, any disagreement on Wednesday must be followed by a quick settlement, provided that the axis lets go of its candidate Sleiman Frangieh before the start of relevant talks. After all, holding on to this candidate only means that Hezbollah and its allies still refuse to find solutions to the Lebanese crisis.
Furthermore, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry has informed the axis that imposing a president through threats and blackmail will not be tolerated, and that the region – whose main actors, often in conflict, have come to an agreement – needs to see a settlement in Lebanon that would preserve the balance between political blocs and restore the country’s foreign policy, insofar as openness and neutrality are concerned. In that sense, a pro-Hezbollah president would be the worst option.
