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The five-way meeting on the Lebanese crisis held in Doha on Monday July 17 resulted in a mere agreement on a follow-up mechanism by special French envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is expected back in Beirut before the end of July.
According to French diplomatic sources, Le Drian will conduct a round of bilateral discussions in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt in the next few days to come up with a joint formula that he would propose to Lebanese politicians.
Before heading to Lebanon, Le Drian is expected to brief French President Emmanuel Macron on the outcome of his talks.
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The plan that Le Drian will be carrying would probably aim at holding a dialogue sponsored by the five countries. However, the form of the dialogue is yet to be defined. Le Drian could have separate talks with the Hezbollah-led camp on the one hand, the opposition groups on the other hand, and also a third party, grouping the Free Patriotic Movement, the change MPs, and the independent MPs.
The French sources noted that no definite date has been set for Le Drian’s return to Lebanon for a second round of talks. He has to complete his regional tour and brief the French President first, but he will definitely be back in Lebanon before the end of July.
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