France has accelerated its diplomatic action and obtained Saudi approval to participate in the "five-way meeting" on Monday. The French Foreign Ministry officially announced on Thursday that Paris will host a meeting dedicated to Lebanon next Monday, which will include representatives from France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar, in an effort to encourage Lebanese politicians to find a way out of the crisis that Lebanon is grappling with.
The official French announcement from Paris coincided with the confirmation by the French Foreign Minister in Riyadh that "France will work with Saudi Arabia and its other partners in the region to encourage the Lebanese political class to assume its responsibilities and find a way out of the presidential crisis."
According to monitoring sources, "before the meeting of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, the meeting was threatened with cancellation and the five-way meeting was on the verge of collapse." This Saudi approval came after France accepted the Saudi condition of "preparing a clear terms of reference before attending the meeting." However, the meeting hosted by Paris next Monday will not be a "magic wand" that pulls Lebanon out of all its crises, but rather a reiteration of previous meetings and the French-American-Saudi statement, this time supplemented by Egyptian-Qatari signatures.
According to sources informing the electronic newspaper "Anbaa," the anticipated paper "will certainly not bring anything new but will be a continuation of the French-American-Saudi statement and what is known as the Kuwaiti paper." The sources highlight that "everything Saudi Arabia aims for is to have a specific goal for this meeting, and most importantly, to achieve it." The sources stress that "Saudi Arabia is not in the business of entering the bazaar of presidential names; what matters to it is a president who restores momentum to Arab-Lebanese relations, particularly with Gulf countries, launches a reform plan, works to achieve a defensive strategy, and adheres to the principle of the Taif Agreement. Saudi Arabia will not support Lebanon unless these conditions are met."
