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French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian’s forthcoming mission, Tuesday in Beirut, won’t be decisive. Rather, its main objective is to launch a new phase in the ongoing efforts to resolve the presidential deadlock.
One of the key steps of Le Drian’s 24-hour visit will be his Wednesday meeting at the Pine Residence with the National Moderation Bloc’s MPs, who had launched an initiative based on informal parliamentary consultations in an attempt to break this deadlock.
The Quintet’s ambassadors in Beirut (US, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar), who are also engaged in a good offices mission with Lebanese party leaders to reconcile viewpoints, are closely coordinating with the Moderation Bloc’s MPs to ensure the success of their initiative.
According to sources within this bloc, the MPs are currently elaborating a series of scenarios that they will discuss with Le Drian to assess their viability and determine which one is most likely to succeed before engaging in a new round of political discussions.
The Moderation Bloc’s primary initiative revolves around informal parliamentary consultations conducted within the Parliament itself. The objective is to reach a kind of consensus regarding the presidential election. Subsequently, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri would convene an electoral session with successive rounds until a candidate is elected.
The Quintet’s ambassadors have adopted this formula, the assumption being that consultations are a crucial step towards breaking the deadlock.
While the various protagonists agree on this principle, they diverge on the format of parliamentary consultations. According to Moderation Bloc’s sources, progress in this regard has yet to occur, especially as Berri remains staunchly opposed to such consultations. The Speaker of the House continues to advocate for a dialogue table with parliamentary and political leaders, a proposal categorically rejected by the opposition and independent MPs. Even the Quintet’s ambassadors prefer informal consultations, as revealed in the statement released after their last meeting, which could lead to either a consensus on a presidential candidate or the convening of an electoral session with successive rounds until a president is elected.
During his stay in Beirut, will the personal envoy of French President Emmanuel Macron succeed in persuading Berri to make concessions after meeting with him?
