Diplomats from France, US, and Saudi Arabia to Visit Lebanon for Presidential Talks

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a parliamentary session on January 9 to elect a president, aiming to resolve the two-year deadlock and revive Lebanon’s struggling state institutions. The session will start with multiple rounds of voting, and Berri emphasized that the key objective is for parliament to elect a president and for members to take responsibility.

French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Minister of the French Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu are scheduled to visit Lebanon on Monday. They are expected to pressure Lebanese leaders to resolve the ongoing presidential crisis. Additionally, U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan are expected to arrive in Lebanon in early January to discuss the presidential election. Hochstein will meet with Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, as well as discuss the ceasefire agreement reached with Israel in late November, according to local media reports.

Pro-Hezbollah newspaper al-Akhbar reported that the French, Saudi, and U.S. delegations will likely push for the election of Army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun. Since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022, Lebanon has been without a president, with the two main political blocs—Hezbollah and its rivals—unable to reach a consensus or secure the necessary majority for election.