The quest for a compromise: Lebanon's political stalemate and the third option

Under the title of "third option," a new external initiative is making its way to resolve the presidential crisis.

This initiative is divided between the meetings of the Qatari envoy, Fahd bin Jassem Al Thani, in Beirut, shrouded in mystery, and the contacts of the French envoy in Riyadh, along with the members of the Quintet Committee, which has not yet produced a therapeutic formula.

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

According to sources close to the online newspaper Al Anbaa, the discussions of the Qatari envoy revolve around three fundamental issues: the necessity of relying on the third option and stepping back from clinging to the presidential candidates Sleiman Frangieh and Jihad Azour, searching for a candidate equidistant from all parties, and working earnestly to rescue the Lebanese economy from collapse by encouraging investment in all sectors, with Qatar playing a fundamental role in this regard.

The shift towards the third option was confirmed by MP Adib Abd al-Masih, a member of the Renewal Bloc, who is part of the parliamentary delegation visiting the United States. He described it as the logical solution reached by the Quintet Committee after nine months of communication with local political forces.

This is aimed at breaking the vertical deadlock that has paralyzed the MPs, as they have failed to secure an absolute majority for either of the competing candidates, Frangieh and Azour, who will be asked to withdraw from the presidential race for the reasons mentioned above, making room for the search for other candidates.

Regarding the Amal-Hezbollah duo's insistence on Frangieh, Abd al-Masih stated, "As long as Frangieh has not obtained an absolute majority in all previous election sessions, he should withdraw from the candidacy. The country cannot remain paralyzed indefinitely."

Abd al-Masih revealed that "Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State Evan Goldstein informed them that he would visit Lebanon next December, and the Lebanese people would have a president by that date," considering that "Army Commander General Joseph Aoun has the best chance so far, according to the American official, and Qatari efforts are heading in this direction."

As long as matters are still within the framework of persuading the concerned political forces of the need to opt for the third option, and until now, some have not been convinced of it, while others have not been convinced of the necessity of discussing the matter, the central knot remains in place, waiting for stakeholders to embark on the settlement that is indispensable to complete the presidential process.