The special French envoy to Lebanon, former Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, has completed his meetings with Lebanese leaders and officials. He will compile the summary of his meetings into a report to be submitted to French President Emmanuel Macron, based on which the date of his next visit will be determined. The most notable meeting was with a delegation from "Hezbollah," headed by MP Mohammad Raad. According to informed sources about the atmosphere of this meeting, the French envoy did not clarify whether the French initiative is still valid through "the basket of the presidency and government," especially after the balance imposed by the recent election session. The sources indicated that Le Drian asked the party's delegation if they still stand by their candidate, Sleiman Frangieh, to which the answer was "yes," along with a detailed explanation of the votes each candidate received. They emphasized that Frangieh's votes were stable and likely to increase, while the opposite is true for former Minister Jihad Azour. The delegation stressed that the next president must reassure Hezbollah regarding regional developments.
The sources continued that the conclusion to be drawn is that there is no final opinion from the French, and even the possibility of Le Drian returning to Lebanon with practical proposals is unknown, hinting that the matter may be related to the development of French communications with regional powers, especially Saudi Arabia. The source concluded by noting that it is clearly an "exploratory tour," as described by the French envoy himself.
On another note, a parliamentary source revealed to "Warda" that "Le Drian indicated during his meetings that he is starting his mission from scratch, far from any background or previous proposal, as if all initiatives and nominations did not occur." According to the same source, Le Drian did not propose names but rather listened to the opinions of parties who proposed names to him. Meanwhile, other parliamentary sources expressed surprise at how the French envoy visited some officials at their residences while calling others to his residence at the Pine Palace, noting that this was remarkable as "the lines blurred there, mixing party deputies with independent and reformist deputies."
Another noteworthy meeting was with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun in his office in Yarze. According to the official statement from the army command, the discussions addressed the security situation, the military institution's status, and the overall political situation. This meeting has garnered interest and attention from various parties, especially since the army commander is one of the names proposed for the presidency.
Le Drian had held a series of meetings on the third day of his visit with MPs and officials at the Pine Palace. He met with the head of the "Kataeb" party, MP Sami Gemayel, who described his meeting with the French presidential envoy as "frank." In a tweet, he said, "We presented the Kataeb's approach to the presidential file, and we provided a written roadmap for a solution based on restoring the state’s sovereignty and lifting the imposed guardianship, along with the required reforms to pull the Lebanese people out of the depths of the crisis."
MP Michel Moawad, head of the "Independence" Movement, also visited the Pine Palace, meeting with the French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian. Le Drian then held an extensive meeting with the "Renewal" bloc, which includes Moawad, MPs Fouad Makhzoumi and Ashraf Rifi, while MP Adib Abdel Massih apologized for traveling.
In this context, MP Ashraf Rifi tweeted that the "Renewal" bloc met with the French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian at the Pine Palace in Beirut, emphasizing that parliamentary sessions should be open for the election of a president, and to proceed with voting for Jihad Azour.
Le Drian also met with the "Change" MPs Ibrahim Mneimeh, Halima Kaakour, Michel Doueihy, Paula Yacoubian, Waddah Sadek, and Yassine Yassine at the Pine Palace. After the meeting, Sadek tweeted: "Today, we met as a group of 'Change' MPs with the envoy of French President Emmanuel Macron, former minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, in the presence of French Ambassador Anne Grillo. We conveyed our perspective on the Lebanese presidential elections and stressed the necessity for the president to be trusted by the Lebanese and a defender of the implementation of the constitution, possessing a comprehensive reform vision aiming for a sovereign Lebanon. The French envoy confirmed that France is not a party and does not have an initiative or candidate; he is visiting Lebanon to listen to various parties, trying to break the stalemate and find a solution based on reform. He noted that change requires time and that the arrival of 12 change MPs is an excellent start during this transitional period, warning that the international agenda is currently empty regarding Lebanon and that no one is enthusiastic about providing assistance."
Le Drian also received MP Walid Jumblatt, head of the "Progressive Socialist Party," accompanied by his son MP Taymour Jumblatt, at the Pine Palace. Jumblatt tweeted that it was a "friendly and frank meeting" with French President Emmanuel Macron's special envoy, former minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, in the presence of Ambassador Anne Grillo.
