Report: Paris seeking to convince Bassil with presidential settlement
French officials are seeking to reach “an urgent presidential settlement” in Lebanon “before the end of the year,” sources informed on Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil’s visit to Paris have said.
“Accordingly, it was necessary to try to convince Bassil with endorsing it, seeing as he represents the biggest obstacle in the way of the election of a new president,” the sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper in remarks published Thursday.
“As a result of their constant consultations with all Lebanese parties, including with the Shiite duo, the officials in Paris believe that shortening the vacuum period is organically linked to resolving this main obstacle,” the sources added.
Bassil has meanwhile carried to Paris “a proposal based on producing a comprehensive basket for ending the presidential void, which includes a prior agreement on a president, premier, the government’s line-up and its agenda for the coming period,” the sources added.
The sources, however, noted that the French officials do not intend to discuss any “bargain” over the presidency with Bassil or with anyone else.
“The French told Bassil the moment he arrived that prolonging vacuum would lead to aggravating the crises and a social security deterioration in Lebanon, which would negatively affect him through boosting the chances of the election of presidential candidates whom he opposes,” the sources added.
The French accordingly advised Bassil to be “an influential elector in the presidential juncture instead of missing the train of the presidential settlement which is being seriously prepared and will be launched soon,” the sources said.
Moreover, contacts are still ongoing between Paris and Hezbollah in this regard and “things are going in the right direction in order to end the vacuum as soon as possible,” the sources went on to say.
Meanwhile, Bassil’s meetings in Paris have been “below the level of his ambitions, especially after he failed to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron,” the sources added, noting that the FPM chief has met with “a number of French MPs, Presidential Advisor Patrick Durrell and other officials from the Lebanese crisis cell.”
Asked by a reporter on the possibility of the election of Army chief General Joseph Aoun as president, Bassil declined to comment but “made a nod that indicates that this possibility is marginalized and ridiculed.”
