Qatari Ambassador to Lebanon Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met Monday with the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammed Raad, the Qatari embassy said.

The talks tackled “the bilateral relations between the two countries and the general situations in Lebanon and the region,” the embassy added in a post on the X platform.

Speaker Nabih Berri has “frozen” his presidential dialogue initiative and the ball now is in the court of those who rejected it, MP Qassem Hashem of Berri’s bloc said on Tuesday.

Asked whether Berri is willing to discuss the nomination of General Security acting chief Elias Bayssari, Hashem said: “Speaker Berri is clear in his proposals and he has supported the nomination of a certain candidate (Suleiman Franjieh).”

Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon Sandra De Waele on Monday opened the 28th edition of the European Film Festival in Lebanon at the Sursock Museum.

Below is the speech delivered by De Waele at the ceremony as received by Naharnet:

The U.S. has denied any disagreement between the members of the five-nation group on Lebanon who convened last week in New York but failed to issue a statement.

U.S. regional spokesman Samuel Werber denied any disagreement between France, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the U.S., affirming in an interview Sunday with al-Jadeed TV channel, that the five members all agree that Lebanon must carry out reforms. "The meeting of the five-nation committee was one of the most important meetings on Middle East affairs, and there is no disagreement between the members," he said.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has warned some political rivals that “if the FPM fully moves to the opposition it will become stronger.”

Lebanese politicians are no longer pinning hopes on domestic and foreign initiatives to break the presidential impasse soon.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat are both losing hope, as Geagea and Jumblat expressed pessimism over an imminent solution.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari has stresssed that "sustainable solutions come from within Lebanon, not from abroad."

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has hit back at Speaker Nabih Berri after the latter tacitly accused him of torpedoing his call for dialogue.

“I didn’t understand how keenness on dialogue to elect a president can be considered rejection of dialogue. Any matter has its conditions and circumstances in order for it to succeed,” Bassil said in a post on the X platform.

In his first response ever against the Free Patriotic Movement’s repeated criticism, Army Commander General Joseph Aoun has snapped back at FPM chief Jebran Bassil over remarks related to the new Syrian migrant influx into Lebanon.

“We are hearing some voices that are questioning the army’s role in protecting the border based on known political stances,” Aoun said.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday stressed that it is “unacceptable” for authorities to say that they have been prevented from continuing the probe into the abduction and killing of LF member Elias Hasrouni.