5-nation group ambassadors to activate presidential file ahead of initiative

The ambassadors of the five-nation group for Lebanon, who met Thursday at the Saudi envoy’s residence, have devised a roadmap for their meetings with Lebanese officials and leaders in a bid to re-activate the presidential election file, media reports said.

The envoys will kickstart their drive next week and their first meeting will be with Speaker Nabih Berri, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Friday.

The talks will be aimed at preparing for a meeting that the five-nation group will hold next month in Riyadh or Cairo, the daily said.

“The central five-nation committee will launch an initiative, seeing as the election of a president is a priority for it,” the newspaper added, noting that the ambassadors “did not discuss names of candidates but rather characteristics that the new president should enjoy.”

“They also discussed the situations of the region and the southern front and their impact on the presidential file, without issuing any statement or stance after the meeting,” al-Joumhouria said.

“French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian will carry the decisions or recommendations of the meeting of the five-nation group to Beirut and he might be accompanied by another member of the committee,” the daily added.