Information from various sources converges on a serious intent from Paris to send French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian to Lebanon at the end of this month to meet with the ambassadors of the Quintet Committee (the United States, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar) and to gather insights from their tour of the leaders of political parties and parliamentary blocs. This visit would also include consultations with senior officials, primarily Presidents Nabih Berri and Najib Mikati.
The "Al-Akhbar" sources indicated that there are ideas discussed with the French side, including an invitation from the Élysée to convene a dialogue table in Paris for Lebanese political forces to discuss the presidential file, in a new attempt to formulate solutions that could lead to a breakthrough in this dossier. However, according to informed sources, the French received advice from Lebanese parties to be cautious about proceeding with this step at the moment due to the profound political divide that might lead to the failure of the initiative and harm France's image and role.
While Paris shows determination to send Le Drian despite the lack of positive indicators suggesting a breakthrough in the presidential file, the presidential envoy reportedly mentioned the existence of French-Saudi coordination and harmony behind the move, bolstered by reports of a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which focused on the situations in Lebanon and Gaza.
Conversely, ambassadors in the Quintet expressed their astonishment regarding the visit, which could lead to the committee halting its mission, particularly as circumstances appear to indicate competition rather than coordination among decision-making capitals regarding the Lebanese file. This coincides with calls from Qatar for Lebanese officials to visit, alongside discussions about organizing a conference in Doha similar to that of 2008.
In this context, informed sources confirm a disconnect among the ambassadors of the committee, each holding a different perspective from the others, especially regarding the details. One of the five ambassadors was quoted criticizing the involvement of other ambassadors in naming candidates or placing vetoes on proposed names, arguing that the committee's work should be limited to establishing the broad outlines and principles, in line with the agreement among the foreign ministers of the five countries in Doha last year, according to "Al-Akhbar."
