Will there be Paris-backed presidential deal before Adha?

The talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “will likely expedite the domestic steps for electing a new president before the end of the current month,” a parliamentary source said.

The agreement will be based on “the famous French initiative, which is still ongoing contrary to what some political forces and parliamentary blocs are promoting,” the source told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Saturday.

Moreover, the source did not rule out that Speaker Nabih Berri might call for a “successful” electoral session before the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, which will be marked in late June.

The French initiative calls for electing Suleiman Franjieh as president in return for designating Nawaf Salam as premier.

Al-Liwaa newspaper meanwhile reported that contacts were held between a French official and the Shiite Duo before and after the June 14 presidential election session.

The French official and the Shiite Duo discussed a deal calling for electing Franjieh as president in return for allowing the opposition and the centrist camp to “name any figure for the premiership, get a one-third-plus-one veto power in Cabinet, appoint a Central Bank governor and manage the oil file,” the daily said.

Ad-Diyar newspaper for its part said that “French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is supposed to visit Beirut in the coming days, will carry with him a host of presidential candidate names that he will discuss with the relevant forces.”

“Army Commander General Joseph Aoun and ex-minister Ziad Baroud are among the names that Le Drian will carry,” the daily said.

“It seems that after the latest presidential session, the French reached a conclusion that reviving their previous initiative has become impossible and that’s why they have started promoting a third candidate” other than Franjieh and Jihad Azour, ad-Diyar said.