French envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, put forward two questions to Lebanese MPs ahead of their next meeting in September, as part of the French initiative to break the deadlock in the presidential election.
In his letter to one of the MPs, published in French and Arabic by This is Beirut, Le Drian said: “During my visit to Lebanon from 25 to 27 July, as personal envoy of the President of the French Republic for Lebanon, I met representatives of all the political forces sitting in the Lebanese Parliament, including the one you represent.
In view of the urgent need to break the current political deadlock, which poses major risks for the future of your country, I proposed that they be invited to a meeting in September, with the aim of reaching a consensus on the issues and priorities that the future President of the Republic will have to tackle, and consequently on the criteria needed to meet them.”
He added: “The aim of this meeting, which will focus exclusively on these issues, is to create a climate of confidence and enable Parliament to convene immediately after, under conditions conducive to holding an open ballot and a rapid end to this crisis. In order to prepare for this meeting, I am writing to formally request your written and, as far as possible, synthetic answers to the following two questions:
-What does your political force see as the priority areas for the President of the Republic’s term of office over the next six years?
-What qualities and skills should the future President of the Republic have in order to deal with those priorities?”
Le Drian concluded by saying: “Thank you in advance for sending your feedback to the French Embassy in Lebanon before August 31st. The organization of the meeting will be preceded by bilateral consultations, and I hope to be able to talk to you within that framework.
Given the current situation in Lebanon, it is important that we work together to identify areas of convergence and formalize them in order to create an environment conducive to the emergence of consensual solutions. I hope that you will collectively seize this opportunity that I propose to create, on behalf of the President of the French Republic and with the support of Lebanon’s main partners.”
