Lebanese file will be raised at French-Saudi summit as an official agenda item

The French team responsible for the Lebanese file closely followed the proceedings of the presidential election session, recording numbers and observations.

According to French sources, the situation has returned to square one as the numbers did not align with expectations but remained close.

Consequently, according to these sources, the proposed French initiative, which suggests a president from one team and a prime minister from another, remains on hold, awaiting the outcome of Le Drian's mission.

Moreover, these sources confirmed that the Lebanese file would be discussed at the French-Saudi summit between President Emmanuel Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as it is an official item on the agenda.

However, communication between France and Saudi Arabia regarding the Lebanese file is ongoing. There have been rumors about a meeting in Paris between the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, and the French official, Patrick Durel. But Saudi sources described this news as inaccurate.

After the conclusion of this visit, which will take place on Friday, the new French envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, will head to Lebanon before the end of June. He will have completed preparations in Paris, including a meeting with Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and a potential meeting with Macron. Then, the French embassy will work on scheduling appointments with political and spiritual leaders to seek their opinions on resolving the presidential crisis. Le Drian will listen more than he speaks during these meetings.

Furthermore, French sources indicated that the new French perspective would not emerge in a few days. Le Drian will discuss his findings from Beirut with President Macron and convey them to the countries that participated in the Paris Quintet meeting. The objective is to ensure that the Americans, Saudis, Qataris, and Egyptians support any new French initiative. Based on this, France will decide whether to continue with its current initiative or propose a new one.

In Lebanon, political parties await Le Drian's arrival. Each party will claim victory over the other based on the results of the recent electoral session. However, they know Le Drian understands the impossibility of electing a president based on existing power dynamics. Thus, consensus and balance are the keys to electing a president.