The meeting held on Thursday afternoon between French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian and the Sunni MPs at the residence of the Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari can be said to summarize his third mission to Lebanon, which ends on Friday.
In fact, the personal envoy of French President Emmanuel Macron to Lebanon emphasized to the 21 MPs present, as he did to their colleagues, the importance of dialogue to unblock the presidential election. Due to the opposition’s rejection of multilateral dialogue, which has notably been called for by Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, Le Drian tried once again to be inventive, using the term “discussion” instead of dialogue, according to parliamentary sources.
He also mentioned the possibility of moving towards a third candidate, as the two declared candidates failed to get elected in the last electoral session in June. It must be noted that Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh had obtained the votes of the March 8 MPs, while former minister Jihad Azour received the support of the sovereignist blocs and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).
The Sunni MPs, unlike those of other communities, have diverse political affiliations. Their reactions to Le Drian’s proposals summarize those of the French envoy’s other Lebanese interlocutors, as some welcomed his ideas favorably, and others less so.
In all cases, the presidential dossier seems to be progressing. Internationally, the Group of Five (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, the United States and France), which is working to unblock the Lebanese presidential dossier, is expected to hold a new meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, scheduled for September 18 and 19 in New York.
It should be noted that Bukhari met with the new ambassador of Qatar to Beirut, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, on Thursday. According to political sources, a Qatari envoy is expected soon in Beirut.
Furthermore, according to the MTV channel, Macron might discuss the Lebanese presidential election dossier with Pope Francis in Marseille on September 22 or 23.
Locally, the meeting that took place in Bnechii on Thursday between Sleiman Frangieh and the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Raad, is significant, with the head of Marada being primarily supported by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement. It is interesting to note that Raad recently met with the Army Commander-in-Chief, General Joseph Aoun, who is considered by different sources as the consensual candidate par excellence.
Yarzeh
Le Drian met with 21 of the 27 Lebanese Sunni MPs at the residence of Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari in Yarzeh, in the presence of Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian.
It was preceded by a closed meeting between Bukhari, Le Drian and Sheikh Derian.
The six MPs who did not attend the meeting are: Halima Kaakour and Ibrahim Mneimne (Change Movement), who refuse to take part in sectarian meetings, Yanal Solh and Bakr Hojeiri (elected on the Amal-Hezbollah list in Baalbeck-Hermel) who reportedly did not receive an invitation, and Oussama Saad (Saida) and Jihad Samad (March 8).
Speaking at the beginning of the meeting, Bukhari indicated that its purpose is “to strengthen unity and solidarity among all parties.”
Le Drian
Le Drian emphasized “the need to implement the required reforms to help Lebanon recover and resolve its socio-economic crises,” noting that “the institutional vacancies paralyze the state.” He argued that “the election of a president is not a solution in itself, but it is an essential condition for this solution.”
“France and Saudi Arabia are working together to help Lebanon, and we hope that the efforts they are making with the Group of Five will come to fruition,” he added.
Derian
Grand Mufti Derian assured that “the Sunni MPs are working towards the election of a unifying president and have not boycotted any electoral session.” He also reiterated “the Sunnis’ commitment to the Constitution, to the Taif Agreement and to consensus and reforms, and their appreciation of the efforts of the Group of Five.”
“We must agree on the nature of the dialogue, and we have no objection to rapid dialogues to reach an agreement,” he specified.
The MPs
At the end of the meeting, several MPs stated their positions.
“The Group of Five encourages any dialogue concerning the presidency,” assured Abdel Rahman Bizri (Saida), who added that “discussions about the other issues are postponed until after the presidential election.”
According to Waddah Sadek (Change), “Le Drian emphasized the need to discuss new candidates following the failure to elect a president during the session on June 14.”
Abdelaziz al-Samad, “National Moderation” MP, denied that this bloc and Karim Kabbara withdrew from the meeting after the speeches were given, noting that the discussion “focused on the dialogue and its acceptability, but no consensus was reached, as each MP remained fixed on his own point of view.”
He added, “I am not in favor of dialogues preceding the election. I am in favor of holding a session that will lead to the election of a president.”
Bkerke
The French envoy also met with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai in Bkerke on Thursday. During this meeting, he briefed the Patriarch on the outcomes of his discussions with Lebanese officials.
Patriarch Rai reiterated “his commitment to democracy and the Constitution as means to resolve the impasse of the presidential election.” He emphasized that “electing a president is the only way to regulate the functioning of constitutional institutions and restore normal political life.”
Le Drian also met with Hagop Pakradounian, the Secretary General of the Tashnag party and the leader of the bloc of Armenian MPs.
The Tashnag issued a statement describing the discussion as “fruitful and positive.” It stressed “the importance of continuing the discussion with Lebanese parties, without preconditions, to achieve the election of a consensus candidate.”
Le Drian also met with MP Ghassan Skaff.
The leader of the National Liberal Party (NLP), Camille Chamoun, who also met with the French special envoy at the Pine Residence, is in favor of “holding the presidential election as quickly as possible while respecting the Constitution,” and stressed that the next president must be “sovereignist, reformist, free from all constraints, and committed to applying the Constitution and the Taif Agreement.”
