Jean-Yves Le Drian, French President Emmanuel Macron’s personal representative for Lebanon, has proposed to his interlocutors in Beirut “to invite them, in September, to a meeting in Lebanon to reach a consensus on the challenges and priority projects led by the future President of the Republic, and the consequent qualities needed to meet them.” This statement was made by the Quai d’Orsay on Thursday at the end of Le Drian’s visit, which began on Tuesday. In addition, the French envoy noted “the constructive openness of all his Lebanese interlocutors to this concrete approach.”
In her statement, the spokeswoman for the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs emphasized that “this facilitation and good offices approach initiated by France enjoys the full support of Lebanon’s partners and friends who met in Doha on July 17.”
The spokeswoman further added, “As he had done on his first trip, Mr. Le Drian stressed to all his interlocutors the urgent need to break the current political and institutional deadlock caused by the prolonged presidential vacancy, which poses major risks for Lebanon, its state, and its stability.”
Open Ballot
Regarding the purpose of the meeting to which he had invited his interlocutors, she emphasized, “The aim is to create a climate of confidence and enable Parliament to convene immediately with conditions conducive to the holding of an open ballot, so as to rapidly emerge from this crisis.”
“The personal envoy noted the constructive openness of all his Lebanese interlocutors to this concrete, pragmatic approach, centered on the election of the President of the Republic and what he will have to do to set Lebanon on the road to recovery and stability, to enable it to regain its place in its regional environment, and to regain the trust of the international community.”
Third Day
On the third day of his visit, Le Drian met the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, Mohammad Raad, and the party’s head of external relations, Ammar Moussaoui. The French envoy also met the secretary general of the Tachnag party, MP Hagop Pakradounian, as well as MP Imad Hout, on behalf of the National Moderation bloc, who said he preferred “to resort to constitutional procedures for the election of a president.”
The French diplomat’s tour also included, for the second time in three days, the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, who asserted, according to sources close to Ain El-Tineh, that “a breach had been opened in the presidential issue.”
On Wednesday evening, Le Drian held talks with Change MPs Mark Daou, Waddah Sadek, and Michel Doueihy, after which they issued a statement saying that he insisted on the need to respect the constitutional mechanisms for electing a president. “This attempt is the only one undertaken by the friends of Lebanon to find a solution to the crisis,” reads the communiqué. The three MPs reiterated their call for successive electoral sessions to be held until a president is elected.
On his arrival on Tuesday, Le Drian met with Berri. He then held talks with the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil; the leader of the Marada and presidential candidate, Sleiman Frangieh; the leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea; the leader of the Kataeb party, Samy Gemayel; the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Teymour Joumblatt; and the president of the Independence Movement and former presidential candidate, Michel Maouwad.
Le Drian, who took part in the Doha meeting on July 17, has been asked by the Group of Five (the US, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt) to follow up on their efforts to find a way out of the presidential crisis, which has been ongoing for nine months.
