French Envoy struggles to propel comprehensive dialogue as Lebanon's Presidential vacuum lingers

Presidential time has not yet arrived as the stagnant clocks of hindrance remain held by narrow domestic interests and external interests of countries holding the election process by the neck. Between the local and the international, Jean-Yves Le Drian is lost in what he aspires to achieve.   

This article was originally published in, translated from online newspaper Al Anbaa.   

The man is attempting to return with a serious proposal for comprehensive dialogue. Still, his suggestion faces two obstacles: firstly, the rejection by the "resistance" axis to explore another name for the presidency, which means the collapse of the dialogue before its announcement, and secondly, the belief of some opposition forces that they can deprive the Shiite duo of any say in the election.  

In light of this, the French Presidential Envoy is trying to devise a dialogue formula that may find its way to the surface. However, he will not come to Lebanon before he sees it through his regional contacts.  

This comes at a time when a notable development emerged in the form of a statement by the four deputies of the Governor of Banque Du Liban, who called for the appointment of a new governor.  

In this context, expert and economic analyst Antoine Farah told Al Anbaa that "the statement of the deputies raises many questions regarding the timing. The country was in an atmosphere of Vice-Governor Mansouri assuming the duties of the governor, which was paved by his visit to the United States."  

He said: "There were preparations for assuming the leadership in the governorship of the Central Bank after the end of Riad Salameh's term. Therefore, the first question arises: Do the positive atmospheres not reflect reality? Thus, there is an objection somewhere to Mansouri assuming leadership, whether from the American side or there has been a change of position on the Lebanese side - and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who was hesitant about Mansouri's assumption, may have returned to the same concerns and changed his mind?"  

He added, "The second question is: Are the governor's deputies trying to influence the issue of caretaker government? If we want to invest this position politically, they support the position of the caretaker prime minister, as he tends to make the appointment, while many political forces, including Hezbollah, reject the caretaker government's appointment of the governor."  

"Therefore, this question diverges into politics. The most important question is whether we are returning to the old scenario that was leaked about a month ago, which involves the resignation of the deputies of the governor collectively, coinciding with the end of the term of the governor so that the leadership of the Central Bank becomes completely vacant?"  

Farah noted that "the law does not observe who assumes leadership in such a case after the departure of the governor and his deputies by virtue of the resignation."

 

He wondered, "Does the old scenario return, meaning that any resignation of the deputies of the governor means that the ball is received by the government, which says that since we are in a complete void and the governor and his deputies are all out of service, we will ask them by administrative decree to perform the duties of caretaker pending the filling of the void?"   

Considering that "in this way, the governor, with his deputies and the Central Council, have all continued in their positions, and it is something that has not happened." He also believed that "this scenario reassures the government internally towards the international community on the basis that it will be forced to take these measures."  

Regarding security matters, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati monitored the security developments in southern Lebanon after the repeated Israeli attacks in recent days, the latest of which was in the town of Ghajar.   

In this context, security sources told Al Anbaa that "the Israeli objectives of tension are to increase pressure on Hezbollah and lure it into responding and entering into a confrontation to absorb the political and economic crisis facing Netanyahu's government since its formation."   

The sources noted, "Hezbollah has limited itself to surveillance and did not respond to the Israeli attacks, awaiting the clarification of the enemy's intentions and verifying whether Israel wants war or will be satisfied with skirmishes around the Blue Line."  

Amidst all this, the presidential deadline remains suspended and stuck without a solution, perhaps for many months, especially since no date has been announced yet for an imminent meeting of the Quintet Committee.   

This means the continuation of the oscillation in this file, the exacerbation of crises, and the absence of solutions.