What political and security recommendations does Le Drian have for Lebanon?

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Special Presidential Envoy for Lebanon, who recently arrived in Beirut, held a meeting in Riyadh with Nizar al-Aloula, a Saudi Royal Court adviser. Ludovic Pouille, the French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, described the meeting as productive, emphasizing that France and Saudi Arabia are collaboratively working towards ensuring Lebanon’s stability, security, and the expedited conduct of the Lebanese presidential election.

According to Annahar newspaper, citing French diplomatic sources, Le Drian is bringing a dual-focused message to Lebanon, one political and the other related to security. The political aspect includes two proposals aimed at facilitating the swift holding of the presidential election. The first proposal suggests organizing a conference in Doha, similar to a previous one, to achieve a consensus among Lebanese factions on a consensual presidential candidate. The second proposal involves urging Speaker Nabih Berri to initiate an electoral session for choosing a president from proposed candidates, with the process remaining open until a president is elected.

Al-Liwaa newspaper reported that Le Drian plans to discuss with Hezbollah’s leading MP, Mohammad Raad, the possibility of an agreeable presidential candidate, highlighting the urgency of electing a president.

Senior sources from the Shiite Duo, speaking to the daily, revealed that Le Drian is carrying two drafts. One is a revised version of his initial Franjieh-Salam initiative, while the other is a completely new proposal that either suggests a third candidate or open-ended sessions for consensus on any agreeable choice.

Ad-Diyar newspaper’s informed sources mentioned that Le Drian might present an “American-Israeli proposal” to Hezbollah, Berri, and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. This proposal involves Hezbollah withdrawing from the area south of the Litani River, an operations zone under Resolution 1701.

While some sources familiar with the French stance speculated that Le Drian might offer Hezbollah a deal to withdraw from the area south of the Litani River in exchange for support for Suleiman Franjieh’s presidential bid, other sources told ad-Diyar that such a scenario is highly unlikely for Hezbollah.