France's Le Drian in Lebanon to help unlock yearslong political stalemate
France’s special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, met Wednesday in Beirut with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri as he visits Lebanon in an attempt to help the parliament elect a president — a position that has been empty for more than two years amid sharp political and sectarian divides.
Lebanon’s parliament is scheduled to meet on Thursday to elect a president. Le Drian will attend the session at the invitation of Berri.
His visit comes as part of ongoing efforts to "enable the Lebanese to elect a president, in accordance with the principles agreed upon in Doha in July 2023," according to a statement from his office. He is working alongside members of the Quintet — France, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt — to push for a resolution to the prolonged stalemate.
Le Drian urged lawmakers to reach a consensus, emphasizing that electing a president is "the first step toward the urgent reactivation of Lebanon’s institutions and the restoration of the country’s sovereignty," according to the statement.
Local media reports said Le Drian will push for the election of army chief Joseph Aoun, ahead of Thursday's session.
A French diplomatic source said he had met Hezbollah parliament leader Mohammad Raad as well as other political blocs, insisting "on the urgency of electing a president of the republic, the first step into turning around Lebanese institutions".
It remains to be seen how much Lebanon's political landscape has shifted in recent months after Hezbollah, a powerful political actor in the country, was severely hobbled after the war with Israel, which killed top officials including longtime leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the overthrow of President Bashar Assad in neighboring Syria.
Former President Michel Aoun, an ally of Iran-backed Hezbollah, finished his term in October 2022.
Source: Associated Press
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