Report: France 'close to' voicing support for Army chief as president
![W460](http://images1.naharnet.com/images/224171/w460.jpg?1563810304)
France, supported by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, is coming close to announcing its support for Army chief Joseph Aoun as a presidential candidate, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Friday.
It said that a high-level French official might visit Beirut soon as France is preparing for new talks led by Ambassador Anne Grillo, after it failed to agree with Washington and Riyadh on a solution initiative.
Riyadh has expressed it is not concerned with the Lebanese presidential file unless an anti-Hezbollah president is elected, the daily added, claiming that the French-Saudi relations are not stable, which prevented any progress in the French initiative to reach a compromise solution.
Al-Akhbar added that there is an attempt to submit a new plan to crown prince Mohammed bin Salman suggesting a comprehensive reevaluation of the Saudi policies in Lebanon.