As part of their renewed dynamics to help break the protracted presidential deadlock, the ambassadors of the five-nation group, known as the Quintet, visited a number of Lebanese officials on Wednesday, a day after consulting with MPs from several parliamentary blocs.
The envoys of the US, Egypt, Qatar and France held meetings with the Leader of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Frangieh, Kataeb Party Leader MP Samy Gemayel and members of the National Moderation Bloc. The Saudi ambassador was absent for health reasons.
The Quintet kicked off the day’s tour in Bnachii, where they held talks with Frangieh, Hezbollah’s presidential candidate.
Speaking after the encounter, Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Alaa Moussa affirmed that the Quintet is “determined to continue its efforts to make a breakthrough in the presidential deadlock,” which has been ongoing for a year and a half.
He reaffirmed that “no name has been put forward by the Quintet, which insists on the need for Lebanon to elect a new head of state upon whom all political forces agree.”
Regarding the choice to hold a meeting with Frangieh, the Egyptian ambassador stated, “We did not meet him as a presidential candidate, but as a political figure” whose party is represented in Parliament.
According to information reported by local channel LBCI, the ambassadors have asked Frangieh for clarification on his relations with Hezbollah. The latter assured “his support for the resistance movement” and considered that “Hezbollah is a strong and effective Lebanese party.”
Frangieh also clarified, still according to LBCI, that he supports the idea that weapons should only be held by regular forces, noting that this “can only be achieved within the framework of a regional settlement.” He also deemed it “inappropriate to currently discuss a national defense strategy.”
In Bikfaya, Moussa said the ambassadors and Kataeb Leader Samy Gemayel “agreed to meet again, and the meeting today was constructive and positive.”
For his part, Gemayel thanked the five countries “who are making tremendous efforts because the ambassadors are trying to find solutions without imposing policies, and there is an effort to overcome the crisis we are going through and to try to reach consensus among the parties, with a very respectful approach to everyone’s perspective while respecting Lebanon’s sovereignty.”
Gemayel added, “There are two ways for us to get out of the vacuum, either resorting to voting, or reaching a consensus which would be translated into voting; the issue is that Hezbollah obstructs both methods, as it disrupts sessions and obstructs the discussion of other candidates because it insists on its own.”
He questioned, “Are we required to surrender? We will not accept that a new president be imposed on Lebanon by Hezbollah, and we will not accept an official spokesperson for Hezbollah (as a president, editor’s note) because this hurts Lebanon and turns it into a state dependent on Iran, leading to further destruction.”
He stressed, “We do not want to stop at the dialogue’s formalities, such as who leads it, and the shape of the table; the core is whether the party (Hezbollah) is ready to meet the Lebanese halfway, abandon its candidate and choose a candidate acceptable to all.”
The meeting took place in the presence of the Kataeb parliamentary bloc and members of the Kataeb political bureau.
The Quintet concluded the day’s schedule by meeting MPs of the National Moderation Bloc. A statement issued by the media office of MP Walid Baarini after the meeting underlined that the bloc “works in coordination with the Quintet in order to unify views and overcome obstacles to ensure the success of the moderation initiative, which was adopted by the Quintet Committee.”
The statement urged “colleagues in parliamentary blocs” to build on efforts deployed by the National Moderation Bloc and the Quintet, “as it is almost the last available opportunity to overcome the presidential deadlock and surmount conflicts and rivalries.”
