As the French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian left Beirut on his way back to France empty-handed, he faced deadlock on both sides of the crisis: the Shiite duo that insists on dialogue or consultation on their own terms and does not accept a third candidate, and the Christian faction, which is only in agreement on rejecting candidate Sleiman Frangieh, with one group distancing itself from ongoing communications while another is opposing Speaker Nabih Berri's sponsorship of dialogue or even consultation, according to sources close to the Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, as reported by "Al-Liwaa."
With this outcome, Le Drian's mission reached an impasse. A source close to the mediator indicated that each faction was steadfast in its positions, prompting the French envoy to warn those he met with: "With the ongoing divide, the crisis is likely to lengthen, and Lebanon's political existence is at risk."
Political sources noted that Le Drian's departure from Lebanon after a series of meetings with officials and politicians of various backgrounds to discuss how to find a solution to the presidential election crisis, without issuing any statement or release from the French embassy summarizing even briefly, as is customary, the results of his visit and meetings, clearly indicates the unsatisfactory results, as the parties remain divided and doors are still closed to holding presidential elections.
Thus, the chapter of Le Drian's mission has closed, awaiting the reaction process at the Normandy summit on June 6 next, where President Emmanuel Macron will discuss what transpired with his envoy with U.S. President Joe Biden, both of whom are from the countries participating in the International-Arab quintet committee regarding the presidency file in Lebanon.
It was reported that Speaker Nabih Berri is prepared to call for consultations based on an acceptable mechanism if the rejecting blocs decide to participate; if they do not accept, there is no problem, as matters remain unchanged. According to information reported from Berri, he had promised the quintet committee to step back from chairing the dialogue or consultations, handing over the matter to his deputy Elias Bou Saab. However, the negative stance of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who rejected dialogue, brought Berri back to his foundational position, insisting on presiding over the sessions.
To the south, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine stated that France submitted written proposals to both the Lebanese and Israeli sides that include:
1 - Hezbollah withdrawing ten kilometers from the border with Israel.
2 - In return, Israel would cease its airstrikes on southern Lebanon.
According to the spokesperson, Israel did not respond to the French proposals, while a French source indicated that the Lebanese side showed flexibility and positivity in this regard according to "Al-Liwaa."
