Quintet Ambassadors Coordinate on Lebanese Presidential Election

report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

 

After discussing the Lebanese presidential dossier bilaterally among themselves and holding a general meeting last weekend at the residence of the Saudi ambassador to outline a unified vision regarding the Lebanese presidential elections, the ambassadors of the Quintet Committee begin their tour as a group from Ain el-Tineh. 

This is due to the pivotal role of the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, in this dossier, especially regarding the call for presidential election sessions and preventing the violation of the legal quorum.

The ambassadors, whose sources said they share the same opinion about the seriousness of the situation and the necessity of having a president in Baabda to cope with the situation, emphasize the need to completely separate the presidential file from the Gaza war and the events in the region.

In brief words, several ambassadors expressed unity of stance.
Berri described the meeting as promising and constructive, while Ain el-Tineh sources confirmed to LBCI that the position was unified in the meeting, and the atmosphere was positive. 

The meeting did not address the names of the presidential candidates, and the discussion was limited to the presidential matter only, without touching on the implementation of Resolution 1701 or the situation in the south, either directly or indirectly.

According to the available data, the ambassadors, who indicated that their countries have no concern about any nominations for candidates but that it is the sole responsibility of the Lebanese people, will submit a comprehensive report to their foreign ministries. 

They may hold a higher-level meeting of those tasked with examining the presidential file, with French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian returning to Beirut for the fifth time before February 10 after obtaining a complete picture.