Foreign ministers of the "Quintet Group" will discuss in the coming hours the report that French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian will present, coinciding with the current session of the UN General Assembly. It appears that the fate of the fourth round mentioned by Le Drian upon his departure from Beirut last Friday will depend on the results of the quintet meetings, as well as the timing for calling a dialogue table, which President Nabih Berri has not ruled out from his considerations or agenda, which aims at coordinating or not conflicting with the quintet's approach to address the crisis in Lebanon.
In this context, there has been increasing talk of a Qatari envoy arriving in Beirut, aiming to persuade those opposed to Army Commander General Joseph Aoun becoming the president in the coming days, during the remainder of this month. The movement of envoys is met with disputes and contradictory positions among Lebanese leaders, especially along the lines of Mirna Chalouhi and Ain al-Tineh.
The head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, called for "moving away from traditional dialogue, in the manner of a table and a president, and turning towards a dialogue that has no president or subordinate, outside of a round table, which could take the form of bilateral or trilateral discussions," considering that it is acceptable to establish decentralization and a trust fund as priorities for the new term, not necessarily before or simultaneously with the election of a president.
This stance did not sit well with sources from Ain al-Tineh, which viewed it as complicating and exacerbating the situation, stating that it cannot be accepted. President Nabih Berri told "Al-Liwaa" that he meant by "an open session in consecutive rounds until the presidential election, like the election of the Pope, clearer than this."
He revealed that he would call for dialogue in early October, "if no surprises occur, there is still time ahead, and I heard that the Qataris will come to Lebanon with some proposals." Berri emphasized: "I will manage the dialogue, and Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab will be with me, expressing confidence in the potential to reach a solution," indicating, "I am keen on everyone’s participation as the situation is sensitive, and participation from all is essential for the dialogue to be productive and fruitful, so let’s wait for the final positions of the forces to build on what is needed."
While awaiting Le Drian's return to Beirut, attention turns to the dialogues in New York that Prime Minister Najib Mikati is conducting with the ministers of the five countries concerned with the Lebanese situation, which may pave the way for the necessary internal Lebanese dialogue to agree on one or more candidates for the presidency, whether from the known names or those remaining in the shadows and in the bags of Arab and foreign diplomats.
