Report: Paris convinced of its initiative failure after Le Drian-Aloula talks

French presidential envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian has met in Riyadh with Saudi premiership official Nizar al-Aloula, Saudi news agency SPA said.

Al-Jadeed television meanwhile reported that the meeting’s outcome was that “Paris has become convinced of the collapse of its first initiative for Lebanon.”

It will now seek “a third choice and a settlement among the Lebanese forces,” al-Jadeed added.

An official Saudi statement said the Le Drian-Aloula “demonstrated the bilateral ties between the kingdom and France as well as the developments of the Lebanese file.”

France had proposed a presidential crisis solution calling for the election of Suleiman Franjieh as president and the designation of Nawaf Salam as premier.

Le Drian will visit Beirut after his participation next Monday in a Doha meeting for the five-nation committee on Lebanon's presidential crisis. The committee comprises representatives of Saudi Arabia, the U.S., France, Qatar and Egypt.