In a remarkably timely statement, coinciding with the repercussions of the regional movement related to the Syrian file, the United States called on the Lebanese leaders to elect a new president "quickly" who would be "non-corrupt and capable of uniting the country."
It indicated that "Solutions to the political and economic crises in Lebanon can only come from within Lebanon and not from the international community."
This article was originally published in, translated from Lebanese newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.
A US State Department spokesperson said, in an e-mail to Asharq Al-Awsat, that choosing the president is the responsibility of the Lebanese Parliament, guided by his mandate from the Lebanese, commenting on whether the State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller's statement, resolved the controversy over the name of Suleiman Frangieh.
He added that this choice is not the role or responsibility of the international community, and Washington will not support a specific candidate and will remain committed to Lebanon's sovereignty and independence.
And while the US State Department's statement was considered an indirect response to accusations by President Joe Biden's administration that it supports the candidacy of Suleiman Frangieh, or at least turns a blind eye to France's efforts to push for his candidacy, political circles said that the statement maintained the language of ambiguity concerning the American position, in light of Washington's lack of sufficient pressure tools to adjust the balance of dominance, in the face of the dominance of Hezbollah and its "axis" on the Lebanese scene.
It pointed out that Lebanon's file still ranks low in Washington's priorities, which was confirmed by some Lebanese delegations that recently visited Washington.
Tony Badran, a researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, says whether the State Department statement was a vague message opposing this or that Lebanese candidate, in the end, is irrelevant.
He added to Asharq Al-Awsat, as is the case with the former Lebanese president, who has become a largely meaningless position, the decision is in the hands of Hezbollah, which most likely has the necessary votes to elect any figure it deems appropriate and is simply waiting for the arrangement of circumstances.
Moreover, the State Department statement exaggerates the president's role and its importance in the Lebanese system.
Badran added, returning to reality, and regardless of speculation, that the choice of words in the statement about corruption represents an explicit rejection of Suleiman Frangieh, and the fact remains that the Biden administration not only worked closely with former President Michel Aoun, who Hezbollah appointed, It imposed sanctions on his son-in-law but also pressured the interim Israeli government to sign an agreement with Lebanon before he left office.
The administration also worked hard to strike a deal, while he was still in office and in partnership with one of his ministers, to import Egyptian gas to Lebanon via Syria, in violation of the US Sanctions Act against the Assad regime.
Badran considered that if and when Hezbollah was able to install a president, the Biden administration would continue its policy of supporting the country controlled by the party, regardless of the identity of the new president, based on Asharq Al-Awsat.
Despite the rhetoric about accountability, which does not exist in the first place, the United States, France, and others did not hesitate to invest in Lebanon as it is, that is, a pseudo-state run by Hezbollah. He added that the only actor that has a rational policy towards Lebanon is Saudi Arabia.