Starting tomorrow, French President Emmanuel Macron will begin a visit to the Middle East that includes several countries, but Lebanon will not be among them, according to diplomatic sources reported by "Al-Markaziyya." His main stop will be in Qatar to attend the semi-final match of the FIFA World Cup between France and Morocco, as confirmed by Sports Minister Amélie Oudea-Castera, who attended the quarter-final match on Saturday, where France won against England with a score of two to one. She stated, "I will return with the president on Wednesday; the details of the trip have not been finalized yet, but the president has committed to this and is happy to uphold his promise."
The primary goal of the visit is to support and encourage the French team; however, sources indicate that Macron will not leave after the match but will remain in the region until the 21st of this month, regardless of whether the French team advances to the final match on Sunday the 18th or loses to Morocco tomorrow. Diplomatic circles report that he will take advantage of his presence in Qatar to hold a series of meetings with senior officials in the emirate, discussing bilateral relations and regional issues, with Lebanon being a significant topic, especially since Qatar has significantly engaged with Lebanon and its crisis files. Recently, Qatar hosted several Lebanese officials, including Army Commander General Joseph Aoun and National Movement Free Leader MP Gebran Bassil repeatedly; it is known that Aoun's visit is purely technical and mainly aims to secure assistance for the military institution, particularly fuel, as it is in dire need of it. Bassil, on the other hand, has business interests in Qatar alongside political matters.
After leaving Qatar, sources reveal that Macron will begin visiting some Arab capitals starting from the 18th, including Egypt, the UAE, and Jordan, as well as inspecting his country's soldiers in the Gulf of Aqaba. Although it is noted that his visit schedule is not formally organized and is limited to his presence in the region between the 15th and 21st, it is confirmed that he will be in Doha and greet the French soldiers on the French aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Aqaba. He will also attend the Baghdad Conference II in Amman, which will be held at his initiative with Jordanian King Abdullah II on the 20th to discuss regional conditions and strive to reduce tensions. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani and representatives from regional countries, including the UAE, Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, are expected to participate, with sources indicating that Saudi Arabia confirmed its attendance at a high level. However, the nature of Iran's participation may shift based on Saudi representation, especially since Tehran has opted out of the participation, which might lead the conference and its outcomes to be deemed a failure. Nevertheless, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein predicted last week that Iran and Turkey would participate in the second regional summit on Iraq.
Unless an urgent matter prompts the French president to allocate a fleeting visit to Lebanon during his stay in the region, he will not visit it as rumored earlier to greet his country's troops in the peacekeeping force, not wanting the visit to be misinterpreted during the presidential election season. He has also refused to meet some figures who visited Paris recently, who were being considered behind the scenes for this position, sticking to France's publicly known stance as stated in the American-Saudi-French joint statement.
