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The arrival of Qatari envoy Abu Fahd Jassem al-Thani to Beirut, who is scheduled to tour several political forces, comes after the Quintet (France, United States, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia) tasked the Gulf country with finding a solution to the Lebanese presidential crisis. This is Beirut conducted a three-question interview with Saudi columnist Hussein Shobokshi about the circumstances of this new development.
Q. Why did the Quintet meeting on Lebanon, which took place in New York after the UN General Assembly, fail to reach a positive outcome?
A. “I believe that the main reason for the failure of this meeting was the current situation among Lebanese politicians. There is a lack of vision regarding the nominees (Marada chief Sleiman Frangieh and former Minister Jihad Azour) from both sides. The coalition supporting Sleiman Frangieh does not have an alternative candidate, and Frangieh lacks significant international support, as does the opposition’s candidate. Since there is no clear stance on either candidate and a lack of vision from both political camps, the Quintet could not endorse either of them.”
Q. What is Saudi Arabia’s position regarding the New York meeting, and is the monarchy still involved in the Lebanese presidential election dossier?
A. “Saudi Arabia is waiting to see if a definitive choice will be made between these two candidates. However, such a choice does not exist at this time. Thus, Saudi Arabia has made its position clear: it will not participate in making this choice and will only support the candidacy of a Lebanese figure who understands the importance of Arab relations and Lebanon’s geographical significance among its Arab neighbors.”
Q. Why is Qatar taking the lead in the Lebanese presidential election issue?
A. “I believe Qatar is taking the lead because it aims to revive the Doha meeting talks, which were considered somewhat successful in the past by Qatari politicians. Additionally, Qatar seeks to capitalize on the presidential vacuum in Lebanon. However, I do not believe their leadership in this matter will succeed for the reasons I mentioned earlier.”
