Qatari envoy's 'secret' talks in Lebanon: A new presidential path?

Between giving momentum to the Lebanese file on one hand and returning it to square one on the other, there is a lot of talk, but the reality remains unclear.

While it was expected that the meeting of the Quintet Committee held in New York would result in a clear statement regarding the Lebanese issue, there was talk of a disagreement or difference between committee members, especially the American and French sides, during the meeting, leaving many questions and speculations.

More than one diplomatic source confirmed that it was initially decided not to issue a statement because nothing has changed since the latest Doha statement until now.

As for the talk about American-French disagreement in the meeting or their differences in the approach to the Lebanese file, diplomatic sources denied this and clarified that the Quintet Committee did not delegate the French to continue with the initiative and that Qatar's representative was the one who discussed with the French the timeframe for the mission entrusted to Jean-Yves Le Drian. 

The sources also denied that the participants discussed any names under the title of the "third option," especially the name of the army commander.

At the same time, the Qatari envoy who arrived in Lebanon began his discussions with the Lebanese parties. These talks, as in previous times, will be kept secret, especially since Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani is a security figure.

The Qatari envoy has set an agenda for his meetings, which will not be as extensive as the French envoy's. He will limit them to specific parties directly related to the presidential elections.

In this context, LBCI sources confirm that the Qatari envoy held a meeting with the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, without specifying his other meetings, including one with the head of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Frangieh.

The information suggests that the Qatari envoy came to gauge opinions before the arrival of Qatar's Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, at the beginning of next month.

However, more than one observer confirmed that the presidential file has returned to square one, and there is nothing preventing a settlement that abandons the old names in favor of new options.