Paris Confirms Hariri to Meet Hollande as Riyadh, Tehran Press for President Election

The French presidency confirmed Wednesday evening that French President Francois Hollande will meet al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri on Thursday in Paris.

The Elysee Palace meeting will take place at 10:30 am, the presidency said in a statement.

An Nahar newspaper had reported that Hariri will discuss with Hollande the latest developments in the presidential deadlock in Lebanon.

Hariri is also set to meet with various March 14 alliance officials, such as Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb.

Meanwhile, the same sources spoke of a “Saudi-Iranian push to elect a president” despite the divides between the two regional rivals.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor.

Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

There has been a flurry of political talks in the country that followed a Paris meeting between Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh and Hariri.

The meeting sparked intense speculation that the two leaders agreed to the nomination of the Marada chief for the presidency.

M.T./Y.R.