In the face of Lebanon's refusal to implement UN Resolution 1701 in its entirety before Israel does so, and based on what the French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna heard from Lebanese officials, as expected, her visit did not yield more than her initial visit and the visits of other French envoys involved in the presidential file assigned to Jean-Yves Le Drian, the envoy of President Emmanuel Macron.
This article was originally published in and translated from the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anbaa.
This is especially true given her "negative" response when questioned during her press conference about whether France is still committed to the old presidential option, namely Sleiman Frangieh.
Among the obstacles to the visit's success was that France could not resolve the issue of the Presidency regarding the considerations for the "Resistance Axis" and its backers.
Among these hindrances is also the fact that the war has not ended in Gaza. Hezbollah and its allies stipulate the cessation of the war in Gaza before any discussion about the situation in southern Lebanon.
As part of the diplomatic movement, the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) met with the French minister, confirming that the situation in southern Lebanon is tense and dangerous with escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.
Major General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz stated that the current situation, as everyone knows, is tense. They seek to maintain the status quo and play a mediating role between the two parties to "avoid miscalculations or interpretations that could be another cause for escalation."
On the southern border issue, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab discussed developments with US Ambassador Dorothy Shea, focusing on the role of the US administration in preventing escalation and averting war.
The discussion also touched on cooperation that led to achievements in various files, most notably the maritime demarcation.
The US Ambassador acknowledged the recent legislative achievements and the approval of laws that serve the interests of the Lebanese people, including the Sovereign Fund law.
Meanwhile, debate continues over the term extension of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun within the Free Patriotic Movement and its leader, Gebran Bassil.
Bassil described the army commander as the West's candidate and those who follow the West's will inside, removing the "image" of the consensus candidate. He claimed that Aoun is part of a project to dismantle entities from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon and that he was behind the events of October 17.
He affirmed that the movement would challenge the law issued by the parliament.
On the other hand, Speaker Berri spoke to his visitors about the possibility of projecting what happened in the legislative session onto the Presidency.