Although the "positive momentum" initiated by last Friday's voting session to extend the term of Army Commander Joseph Aoun and security leaders for another year continued to resonate politically and rekindle hopes among many for its potential to realistically break the impasse surrounding the presidential election file, there have not been sufficient developments regarding possible ways to leverage this "momentum" to reshape internal political relations towards a broad consensus that allows for the election of a president. Therefore, diplomatic circles, as per "An-Nahar," anticipated that the extension session may have introduced new atmospheres for the Western envoys visiting Lebanon, encouraging Lebanese forces to follow the lead of the vote for General Joseph Aoun in a renewed active movement towards the presidential entitlement.
The visit of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to Beirut today will mark the first approach of this kind, especially since Paris must be satisfied with the extension of the army commander, which it had called for emphatically both publicly and through its envoys to Beirut. Colonna will focus on two main aspects of the ongoing French initiative: pressuring to prevent the outbreak of a large-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, stemming from the escalating field confrontations in the south, and addressing the stagnant presidential file.
Discussions between Colonna and Lebanese officials will take place after a delegation from the Lebanese Republic returns from Kuwait, consisting of Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Shamie. They had offered condolences for the late Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to the new Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
