Diplomatic sources have denied, through "Al-Liwaa", that officials have received information about an expected visit from the French presidential envoy to Lebanon, Yves Lodyrian, as circulated in some media. The same applies to the visit of the American presidential advisor Amos Hochstein to Lebanon. The sources stated that the circulated information is merely assumptions and expectations, not confirmed data. They emphasized that the return of either envoy, American or French, requires Lebanese officials to receive positive responses to all questions posed to Hezbollah regarding the party's status, its weapons, and its future in the South, which has not yet occurred.
On Saturday, the 7th of this month, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné will arrive in Beirut as part of France's role regarding Resolution 1701 and the election of a new president. Presidential ambassadors from the Quintet who visited Ain al-Tineh yesterday—namely: Walid Bukhari (Saudi Arabia), Alaa Moussa (Egypt), Sheikh Saud bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani (Qatar), Hervé Magro (France), and Amanda Beals (Chargé d'Affaires of the United States)—informed President Nabih Berri that the matter of calling for dialogue sessions before elections has become a foregone conclusion.
Political sources following the presidential file told "Al-Liwaa" that the proposal of a third option to break the presidential deadlock is still immature. They noted that the elements necessary for discussing it have not yet been completed, but this does not mean it has been withdrawn from circulation. The same sources confirmed that the Quintet committee is still seeking to find common ground among the parliamentary blocs, which may mean that their endeavors could take time. Furthermore, there was an affirmation from President Nabih Berri regarding setting a timeline for the presidential entitlement, indicating that this does not mean there is an imminent election session because, as long as the outlook remains blocked and consensus absent, the possibility of not holding this session is viable.
From the ambassadors' sources, it was understood that the atmosphere was characterized by positivity, and some ambassadors' questions focused on the mechanism of inviting for dialogue, its course, and how it would be held, along with what follows. According to available information, the ambassadors will communicate again with the blocs to explain what they heard from President Berri and to persuade hesitant parties to respond to dialogue sessions before the election.
French Ambassador Magro linked the activation and progress of these efforts with the arrival of the official French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, who follows the movements of the Quintet in Beirut. Some sources indicated that the Quintet suggested to President Berri the necessity of considering the third option if the goal is indeed to reach the election of a president in the near future.
