French presidential initiative: Latest updates

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French President’s Special Envoy to Lebanon, was scheduled to arrive in Beirut on Tuesday for a diplomatic visit aimed at resolving the presidential deadlock in the crisis-stricken country.

Le Drian is set to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday, as reported by Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. Following their meeting, Berri is expected to respond to a statement issued by the Quintet. Earlier this month, the ambassadors of Egypt, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States emphasized in a joint statement that “Lebanon cannot afford to wait another month” without a president, urging the need for consultations to end the political impasse.

Berri has been quoted saying, “Those who refuse to participate in (a presidential) dialogue are responsible for the consequences.”

According to Al-Akhbar newspaper, during his visit, Le Drian will also meet with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the Quintet’s ambassadors. The daily mentioned that France is considering hosting a dialogue conference in Paris to bring together Lebanese political forces to discuss the presidential issue.

Berri reportedly opposed the idea of holding the dialogue in Paris, questioning, “Why (would it be held) in Paris and not in Beirut or in an Arab country?”

Ahead of his meeting with Le Drian, Speaker Berri is expected to meet with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson on Monday. Johnson will then travel to Washington to brief other U.S. ambassadors on the presidential discussions, as reported by Asharq al-Awsat.

Sources told ad-Diyar that French President Emmanuel Macron plans to discuss the presidential and Lebanese-Syrian border issues with U.S. President Joe Biden during a French-American summit on June 7. Macron has suggested deploying international forces on the Lebanese-Syrian border to control the flow of irregular migrants and weapons into Lebanon. This idea has been rejected by Lebanese and Arab officials who recently visited Paris, according to ad-Diyar.

Western countries, particularly the U.S. and France, have proposed several initiatives to cease hostilities on the Lebanon-Israel border. Hezbollah has refused to agree until a cease-fire is implemented in Gaza.

Initially, the proposals included relocating Hezbollah forces several kilometers from the border. However, a French diplomatic official, speaking anonymously, said the latest proposal has abandoned this idea, as Hezbollah would not agree unless Israel also ceased its overflights in Lebanese airspace.

The new proposal focuses on increasing the presence of the official Lebanese army and UNIFIL peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon to enforce a cessation of hostilities, with a long-term goal of negotiating the demarcation of the land border between Lebanon and Israel.