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Lebanese Forces (LF) MP Ghayath Yazbek said on Tuesday that France appears to be distancing itself from Hezbollah on the presidential election and has taken a new step aligned with the outcome of the Group of Five meeting in Qatar. This Group gathers France, the USA, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Yazbek was commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron’s speech given on Monday to French ambassadors in which he accused Iran of intervening in regional issues and in the Lebanese political situation.
Speaking to “Voice of Lebanon” radio, Yazbek argued that “the change seen in France’s stance yesterday represents a return to logic in politics.”
He said that France will not resign from its role in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon.
Yazbek considered Macron’s comment about his envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is tasked with facilitating the presidential election, as a form of acknowledgment that he also holds responsibility for the failure of Paris’s efforts so far.
The French president thanked his personal envoy to Lebanon for the mission he has been leading for several months which consists of finding a political path in the short term.
“France seems now to be building a logical barrier between itself on one hand, and Hezbollah and Iranian politics in Lebanon on the other. This will lead to an escalation against its role by Hezbollah and Iran which would be obstructing Le Drian’s mission in Lebanon,” Yazbek said.
