On the last day of his mission of good offices in Lebanon, French President Emmanuel Macron’s special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, held a meeting in Ain el-Tineh with Speaker of the House Nabih Berri on Friday morning. He then had a telephone conversation with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
With both of them, he reviewed the results of his discussions over the past two days with party leaders and with personalities directly concerned by the presidential election issue.
Le Drian, who held his first talks in Beirut with Berri and Mikati, reviewed with them his three-day visit before boarding his plane for Saudi Arabia, where he will take up his new post at the head of the French development agency of Al-Ula (Afalula). He was appointed at the end of July by President Macron as head of Afalula, whose mission is to work with the Saudi authorities to develop tourism and culture in this region.
According to media reports, the French envoy is due to return to Lebanon before the end of the month to organize a meeting at the Residence des pins (residency of the French ambassador), as part of a follow-up to his mission. These reports have not yet been confirmed by official sources.
