Le Drian to meet al-Aloula in Riyadh over Lebanon president crisis

French special envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian will meet with Saudi Royal Court adviser Nizar al-Aloula within hours, Lebanese television station MTV said Thursday.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari will attend the meeting in Riyadh, the TV channel added.

Diplomatic sources had told al-Liwaa newspaper that Le Drian will likely visit Lebanon soon, by early October, and that mid-September will witness intense efforts to break Lebanon's presidential deadlock.

Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper said the meeting will discuss ways to reconcile viewpoints between the Lebanese parties, especially Speaker Nabih Berri and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.