Qatari and French initiatives in Lebanon: Seeking presidential resolution

The presidential file is still pending the results of Qatari efforts and the course that the French initiative will take following the return of the French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian to Beirut in October.

This article was originally published in and translated from the online Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anbaa.

However, a second meeting is held on Monday between the Qatari envoy and the deputies of the National Moderation bloc, whom he met last week, and the Qataris also met with Lebanon's Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian three days ago.

The French position on the solution formula will become clear after it confirms its commitment to calling for the third presidential option.

As for the US side, it expressed disappointment at the failure of the Parliament to elect a president. An official from the US embassy told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper that they urge calling for presidential election sessions in consecutive rounds until a president is elected.

He also emphasized that Washington does not support a specific personality, considering that the country's recovery begins with electing a president and forming a government, when the Parliament can start its work and approve the necessary reforms.

Furthermore, he said that what was attributed to the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, in the "Quintet Committee" meeting is not true and is aimed at creating a rift between us and the solid Lebanese army, with which we are proud to cooperate.

In this context, sources from the Presidency of the Parliament confirmed the readiness of Speaker Nabih Berri to support and facilitate the mission of anyone who wants to help Lebanon, similar to what he did with the French envoy and subsequently with the Qatari envoy.

The sources then added that Berri still believed that the principle and the solution to the presidential crisis lay in dialogue and consensus, and when they refused discussion and consensus, he withdrew his initiative and had nothing new to offer.

However, MP Nada Al-Bustani, a member of the Strong Lebanon bloc, said, "As the Free Patriotic Movement, we call for electing a president as soon as possible, but today we face difficulty in electing one, and more important than the election is agreeing on a presidential program."

Al-Bustani announced in an interview with LBCI that they did not reject the dialogue called for by Parliament Speaker Berri, and they said that there are conditions that must be met for this dialogue to succeed, emphasizing that the presidential entitlement is purely Lebanese, and their decision is free.

On the other hand, Metropolitan Elias Audi, the head of Beirut and its Suburbs Greek Orthodox Church, stated that "the countries interested in Lebanon are disturbed by the behavior of all parties," wondering about the feasibility of their continued interest in Lebanon, while officials persist in not taking responsibility and prolonging the state of vacancy.

He continued, "The longer the crisis persists, the more Lebanon loses its sons who migrate in search of a decent life, and they succeed."

However, former minister Wadih Al-Khazen warned of the stagnant state of affairs in the country and the worsening serious Syrian displacement crisis. He believed that "we cannot waste the available opportunities for rescue, restructure the state before it's too late, and spare Lebanon from what is preparing for our region, a demographic and geographical changes."

The influx of Syrian refugees is the latest in a series of human crises that pose a danger to Lebanon, affecting the presidential vacuum and its consequences on the state and institutions.

In this context, George Adwan, Chairman of the Administration and Justice Committee in the Parliament, revealed a "secret agreement" in 2016 between the Ministry of Interior and the Refugee Commission. This "agreement" included the distribution of residence permits to Syrian refugees in exchange for up to $23 million that the General Security Directorate had received. He called on the current government to immediately cancel this memorandum and its consequences.

Additionally, he added, "The flawed information available to us indicates that on the eve of a conference in London, they assisted the Lebanese General Security with $23 million to carry out some transactions in exchange for granting housing certificates to hundreds of thousands of Syrians, which led to the legitimization of an illegal presence." He considered that all official certificates given are illegal and must be canceled.