The Quintet committee will commence today, as previously promised, according to a schedule of meetings with officials and political leaders to invigorate the stagnation of the presidential election. This recent initiative by the committee comes amid discussions of Western pressure that Qatar is attempting to showcase to expedite the election of a new president for the republic, but without any side agreements related to the government or aid, as reported by "Nidaa Al-Watan." The information also indicates that the Quintet is exerting "serious pressure to take advantage of the time once the Gaza truce is accomplished to facilitate the presidential elections in Lebanon."
The ambassadors of the Quintet are set to begin their tour today with visits to House Speaker Nabih Berri and Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Rai. They will then meet President Michel Aoun and Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces party, next Monday. The tour is expected to continue after the holidays, as some of the ambassadors will be abroad during the upcoming period. Upon their return, the ambassadors are scheduled to meet with parliamentary blocs, including, for example, the "Moderation Bloc," the "Independent National Bloc" (Suleiman Frangieh's bloc), and the "Free Patriotic Movement," chaired by MP Gebran Bassil (without the American ambassador).
These meetings aim to explore and finalize the positions of the parliamentary forces regarding the presidential election after all developments, before submitting reports to their respective countries, allowing for subsequent actions to be taken.
In a related context, it was noteworthy that the statement issued by the Dar al-Fatwa yesterday "heralded" that "there are positive indicators for electing a president if good intentions are upheld and authenticity is maintained, and that good is forthcoming for Lebanon regardless of the suffering of the Lebanese people." This statement followed the invitation of Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian and regional muftis to a iftar dinner hosted by Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari.
According to "Nidaa Al-Watan," what Dar al-Fatwa celebrated stems from the developments related to the "Quintet's" movement, which opened the door to a positive path for achieving the presidential election. Additionally, this initiative has paved the way for launching initiatives similar to that of the "Moderation Bloc" aimed at reaching common ground among the parliamentary blocs that would lead to the election of a new president for the republic.
