Insights on French envoys visit: Lebanese political divisions complicate Le Drians dialogue mission

3^min

The mission of the French envoy to bring together Lebanese parties for dialogue was always a daunting task, given the conflicting views among those he met regarding the principle and form of dialogue.

Nevertheless, Jean-Yves Le Drian tried, with a peculiar twist, to convince the parties of the importance of inviting the Parliament Speaker to the dialogue table.

On the second day of his visit to Beirut, Le Drian landed in Haret Hreik, where he met with Mohammad Raad, the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc. He confirmed that Speaker Berri's proposal for dialogue falls within the same context as the French initiative, according to Hezbollah's media relations.

Le Drian emphasized the importance of Berri's initiative in front of former MP Walid Jumblatt in Clemenceau, in the presence of MPs Taymour Jumblatt and Wael Abou Faour, who had held a series of meetings in the French capital before Le Drian visited Lebanon.

According to LBCI's sources, Le Drian informed Jumblatt that France and Saudi Arabia now share the same stance regarding the Lebanese file. The new approach is to unify the stance of the Quintet countries in supporting Berri's dialogue efforts. Jumblatt's comments after the meeting reflected this context.

Le Drian's afternoon talks began at the Pine Palace, where he met with several Change MPs, including Paula Yacoubian, Ibrahim Mneimneh, and Yassin Yassin. Yassin revealed that Le Drian had tried to convince them of the importance of Speaker Berri's dialogue.

Le Drian also met with two MPs from the Renewal Bloc, Michel Moawad and Fouad Makhzoumi. The bloc described the meeting as positive and constructive, emphasizing the need to rely on the French role as an impartial mediator to help Lebanon elect a president.

However, the stance of the Kataeb Party, which rejects dialogue, was conveyed to Le Drian by the party leader, Sami Gemayel.

Le Drian's final stop on Wednesday was in Maarab. He succeeded in shifting the focus from his dialogue initiative to Speaker Berri's initiative, which has now taken center stage in all discussions with the French envoy.