Quint meets parties in Beirut as Bassil meets 'Abou Fahad' in Turkey

The five-nation group for Lebanon has returned the Lebanese presidential file to the spotlight through a series of meetings aimed at “convincing the parties to go to dialogue,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday.

The quintet “is convinced that no breakthrough will occur except through direct dialogue and in agreement with Speaker Nabih Berri,” the daily said.

“The behind-the-scenes talks were led by the ambassadors of Egypt and France, Alaa Moussa and Hervé Magro,” al-Akhbar added.

The visitors of Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari meanwhile said that there is Saudi-French coordination to “revive the presidential file.”

“French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian will soon visit Riyadh to meet with Royal Court adviser Nizar al-Aloula in the presence of Bukhari and Magro,” the newspaper quoted the visitors as saying.

Bukhari had visited Berri on Saturday, prior to departing Beirut, to put the Speaker “in the picture of the outcome of the diplomatic efforts,” al-Akhbar said.

Qatar meanwhile is “continuing its contacts and meetings with Lebanese officials, and the last meeting was not in Doha, but rather in Istanbul, which was visited by Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil 10 days ago for a meeting with Qatari envoy Abou Fahad Jassem Al-Thani,” the daily added.

Bassil also met there with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.