New US Ambassador Lisa Johnson to reinvigorate Presidential Electoral file

With the imminent departure of the US Ambassador Dorothy Shea from Lebanon in the coming days, Nidaa Al-Watan has learned that the new ambassador, Lisa Johnson, will arrive in Beirut on the fifth of January to assume her duties as the designated ambassador to her country in Lebanon.

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

She is expected to become the accredited ambassador with the election of the president and the submission of her approval papers for the new president.

Johnson, who served at the US Embassy in Beirut between 2002 and 2004 when Vincent Battle was the ambassador to Beirut, witnessed the handover process between him and his successor, Jeffrey Feltman; she knows the Lebanese structure with its complexities, especially since it accompanied the most difficult stage of political tension during which International Resolution 1559 was issued.

The resolution split Lebanon into two opposite halves, leading to a significant earthquake with the assassination of martyr Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.

According to a follow-up source, "Johnson, who has cultivated friendly relationships with Lebanese leaders and figures, is expected to start her mission by actively re-launching the presidential electoral file through the frameworks of both the Arab and international quintets. This will involve adopting two complementary paths:

Firstly, investing in the understanding reached between the opposition parliamentary blocs, which converged in supporting the extension of the term of the Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, as the external observers perceived fundamental positives in this convergence, as the vote was seen as constitutional and summed up the united national will.

Secondly, building on the initial positivity that accompanied positive Arab and international pressure leading to the achievement of this extension, the quintet will move forward from the same framework, exerting broader and escalating positive pressure, ultimately creating conditions for the possible election of a president."

In addition, the source revealed that "Arab and international pressure will encourage the non-return of the rift between the main political and parliamentary forces, and to activate the communication that has occurred, by turning away from the vague dialogue tables that lead to no result, opting instead for bilateral understandings and dialogues. When the presidential convergence occurs, a direct session will be convened under the direct sponsorship of the Arab and international quintet."

The source clarified that "the fundamental bet is on the open channel between Ain el-Tineh and Maarab, in partnership with the Moukhtara, as it seems that Hezbollah authorizes Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to undertake the understanding he deems appropriate regarding the presidential election. And, in this matter, Hezbollah stands behind President Berri, not alongside or in front of him, meaning that it approves any solution he reaches."