Qatar takes center stage as French role falters in Lebanese presidential race

A political reference highlighted to "Al-Joumhouria" that what the French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna indicated in her recent visit to Beirut regarding a French inclination to engage more significantly in the presidential file at the beginning of the new year faced a setback in the recent days.

This article was originally published in and translated from the Lebanese newspaper Al-Joumhouria.

This setback may have hindered or stalled it before it even began, raising doubts about the success of any French initiative or mediation that allows Paris to play the role of an impartial mediator again in the presidential file.

The same reference added that this setback became evident in the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron two days ago in an interview with "France 5," where he described Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization," adopting the Israeli perspective on the party.

Macron bypassed the French approach that had been reiterated by more than one French official, emphasizing the distinction between the so-called military wing of the party listed on the European list of terrorist organizations and its political wing, which represents a broad segment of the Lebanese people and is a significant political force that must be dealt with.

Furthermore, Macron ignored the consistent French openness to Hezbollah, manifested in successive meetings with the party, whether through the French embassy in Beirut or the French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian and also through Macron himself, who had previously met with the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad.

The French President is known for the famous saying that it is not the business of France or any external forces to assess the good behavior of any political force represented in Lebanon, emphasizing that it is solely the task of the Lebanese people.

Qatari endeavor

According to the official reference, this French stance automatically places any new French movement in the presidential file under suspicion, not only regarding its chances of success but also in the acceptability of its mediation from the outset. This stems from hostility towards a Lebanese party with its presence, role, and voice in the presidential race.

From here, the same reference affirmed that Macron's position had shifted France away from the role of an impartial mediator and removed it from the competition with the Qatari effort on the presidential file.

Consequently, this effort has returned to occupy its position as an opportunity relied upon to complete the presidential election. There are clear indications that the Qatari movement will renew after the New Year, mainly since the Qatari envoy, Sheikh Jassim bin Fahad Al Thani, has achieved significant progress in his previous visits.

Presidency as a Regional and International Demand

In a related presidential context, after he met with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri on Friday, MP Ghassan Skaff stated that the upcoming international movement would be directed towards Lebanon, and the presidential election has become a regional priority.

Skaff explained to "Al-Joumhouria" the basis on which he built his position: "Based on my contacts with American, French, and Arab sides, I see that the presidential election has become more of a regional and international demand than a Lebanese one. This is to prevent Lebanon from falling into problems larger than its current ones as a result of the war on Gaza, which changed the balance of power in the region and plunged the region into a war whose end no one knows."

"Therefore, the French and American insistence on completing the presidential election is to include Lebanon in the negotiations that will take place after the war to determine the region's situation," he continued.

Skaff added: "The outside world sees that what appeared through the delay in releasing the army commander and security leaders with a law in the parliament, based on a political settlement between internal parties, could affect the presidential entitlement to reach a settlement that allows the election of a president."

"The extension for the military and security leaders demonstrated a remarkable achievement for the parliament, and the parliament cannot continue to turn its back on internal political maneuvers that wasted opportunity after opportunity to elect the president," Skaff said.

He continued: "The vote of more than 70 deputies on the extension is not a coincidence or a detail, and it is a message that the international community wants to convey to Lebanon that the parliament is capable of electing a president, as it approved the extension law unanimously."

Moreover, Skaff revealed that Qatar, through the Arab International Quintet, will push more strongly for the presidential election to move forward at the beginning of the following year. Qatar and Egypt, as is known, are making a significant effort to stop the war in Gaza and reach a regional de-escalation.

 Information indicated that Lebanon would be the next station for the work of the Quintet through Qatari and French efforts, whether to implement Resolution 1701 or, elect a president, or both.

Skaff further disclosed that he would once again make a new move following a new agenda at the beginning of the year "to contribute to achieving consensus on the election of the president, as I previously played a role in holding the presidential election session on June 14 and the extension session for the security and military leaders."

Additionally, the information suggested that Skaff met with several political forces and references away from the spotlight to gauge their opinion on reactivating the presidential file on new grounds.