Qatari envoy Jasim bin Fahd Al Thani continues to quietly advance his initiative, which was launched after the last meeting of the Quintet in New York last week.
According to diplomatic sources close to the Quintet, Qatar's move is still in the stage of gauging positions and carries a list of presidential candidates, with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun at the top.
However, the Qatari envoy refrains from naming names. Information suggests that if the Shiite duo does not abandon their nomination of Suleiman Frangieh, this means "the real solution has not yet begun to explore other possibilities."
It is emphasized that the actual description of the Qatari initiative is that Doha is a link between the Quintet and Iran. It is said: "It seems that Doha is waiting for something from Tehran."
What is the conclusion from the above? Diplomatic sources answered as follows:
There are three challenges facing the Qatari envoy:
The first challenge is for Iran to become an undeclared part of the Quintet.
The second challenge is for the Qatari envoy to persuade the Shiite duo to drop their candidate Frangieh.
The third challenge is for the Qatari envoy to reach the stage of proposing a name that will enter the presidential race.
According to Al-Manar TV, affiliated with Hezbollah, the Qatari envoy has "extended" his stay in Lebanon to conduct a new round of consultations.
Moving from politics to security, the Ain al-Hilweh camp witnessed a development yesterday, the first of its kind in 55 days since the outbreak of deadly clashes between Fatah and the Muslim Youth Gathering. This development involved the deployment of the Joint Security Force in some parts of the camp.
Palestinian sources confirmed to "Nidaa al-Watan" that the deployment came as a step in the process of addressing the conflicts after the ceasefire and the reinforcement of the security force with elements from various Palestinian factions. The deployment will continue in the most sensitive areas, after evacuating UNRWA schools from militants.
In parallel, sources told Nidaa al-Watan that the "Islamic Forces" continue their efforts to address the issue of handing over the wanted individuals who are hiding in the emergency area. They are continuing their efforts with utmost secrecy and discretion, hoping to achieve results in the near future without specifying a time frame.
Palestinian circles consider the big challenge remains in evacuating UNRWA schools, withdrawing militants from the streets, and removing barricades, fortifications, and barriers. The most crucial aspect is how to deal with the issue of the suspected individuals in the assassination of General Abou Ashraf Al-Armoushi. The same circles believe that if efforts to hand over the wanted individuals fail, the camp will face "dire choices."