From French to Qatari initiative: Nabih Berri's presidential initiative faces growing challenges

In a recent meeting in New York, the Quintet Committee effectively transferred the presidential file from the French initiative to the Qatari initiative.

This move has sparked a notable shift in the stance of Nabih Berri, the Parliament Speaker and the proponent of the renowned dialogue and presidential initiative. This change was evident in a discussion with "Nidaa Al-Watan," where he acknowledged the extent of Christian opposition to his initiative, admitting that he initially relied on Christian acceptance.

This article was originally published in, translated from Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al-Watan.

When asked about the fate of the dialogue after the Quintet Committee meeting, Berri responded, "We were waiting for a statement from the Quintet Committee regarding their meeting, but it appears that the nations have differing views, and we will have to reconcile gradually."

Regarding his dialogue initiative, Berri stated, "It has not progressed yet. Everyone was content with my initiative, but those I wanted to endorse, namely the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), rejected it. We also witnessed the burden that Gebran Bassil placed on it in his recent speech."

As for the rumors of a Qatari initiative, Berri said, "It is true there is a Qatari initiative, and the Qatari envoy has arrived in Lebanon, but I have not had any contact with him yet."

Moreover, regarding the fate of the presidency and the dialogue in light of these circumstances, Berri succinctly remarked, "It seems that the nearby church does not heal."

In a related development, "Al-Manar" channel, affiliated with Hezbollah, reported on Thursday evening that the Qatari envoy, Abou Fahd Jassem al-Thani, who arrived in Beirut last Tuesday, has "begun actual meetings with political forces and presidential candidates to reach an agreement on a single name."

Despite the shift of the file from the hands of the French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian to the Qatari envoy, sources from diplomatic circles informed "Nidaa Al-Watan" that "the Lebanese file was withdrawn from the diplomatic cell at the Elysee Palace to be handed over entirely to Minister Le Drian," who will continue representing his country in following up on this matter.

In the same context, the caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, highlighted in his address to the seventy-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday the continued relevance of the Paris initiative, as he "praised the role played by the Quintet Committee and the French initiative aimed at assisting in achieving the constitutional entitlement."