On the second day of his visit to Lebanon, the French presidential envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, met Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday in Ain el-Tineh.
Berri reiterated his call “to initate consultations on one subject, the election of a President of the Republic, without preconditions.” Emphasizing his adherence to the French initiative, he called for “electing, in successive sessions, a president from a list of names including a number of candidates, until the initiative culminates in the election of a new president.”
Earlier, Le Drian met the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Raad, in Haret Hreik.
He will also meet the head of the Kataeb party, Sami Gemayel, and the leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea.
The French envoy will have lunch with the National Moderation bloc at the French Embassy before having dinner with the Quintet ambassadors (USA, France, KSA, Egypt, Qatar) at the Résidence des Pins.
Le Drian will not meet Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil as he is currently out of the country.
Following a series of meetings held on Monday, according to sources reported by MTV channel, Le Drian indicated that “political Lebanon will cease to exist, as long as the crisis persists and in the absence of a President of the Republic.” He pointed out that “all that will remain is geographical Lebanon.”
Le Drian’s suggestion “to forget the word dialogue” and to replace it with “consultations” was met by the response that “Speaker Nabih Berri will not accept.”
