French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian continues his tour of Lebanese officials on the second day of his visit. He met with the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, in Haret Hreik. Le Drian then moved to Ain El-Tineh, where he met with the Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, in the presence of the French ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro, and his accompanying delegation. Also attending the meeting were Berri's advisor Dr. Mahmoud Berri and media advisor Ali Hamdan.
The discussions covered the general situation, particularly the presidency and recent statements from the "Five-Member Committee." Speaker Berri expressed gratitude for French President Emmanuel Macron's efforts in sending a special envoy to Lebanon. Berri reiterated his commitment to his initiative for electing a president, pointing to the call—without preconditions—for "consultation" on the single topic of electing a president, followed by moving to the parliamentary chamber for successive rounds of voting among a list of candidates until a new president of the Lebanese Republic is elected.
Le Drian is set to visit the head of the Kataeb Party, Sami Gemayel, and the head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea. He is also scheduled to host the National Moderation bloc for a lunch at the French embassy, concluding his visit with a dinner with the ambassadors of the Five-Member Committee at the Sanoubar Palace. The Free Patriotic Movement apologized for not meeting Le Drian, as its leader Gibran Bassil is outside Lebanon.
Media reports indicated that Le Drian told those he met that "political Lebanon" will end if the crisis persists without a president, leaving only "geographical Lebanon." He continued, "Let's forget the word dialogue because it is unsuccessful and replace it with consultations instead of negotiations," to which the response was that "Speaker Nabih Berri will not accept."
