Lebanese Army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun (right) and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed Bukhari during a meeting in Yarzeh, on Feb. 2, 2023. (Credit: Lebanese Army website)
BEIRUT — Lebanese Army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun met on Thursday with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed Bukhari, the state-run National News Agency reported, without giving further details on the topics discussed.
Joseph Aoun is among the candidates whose names have been proposed in the presidential election.
His candidacy has been widely debated in recent days, receiving the support of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Progressive Socialist Party head Walid Joumblatt, but has been categorically rejected by the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil.
Lebanon has been without a head of state since former president Michel Aoun's term expired on Oct. 31. Parliament has not succeeded in electing a new president, due to the lack of political consensus.
The meeting between Joseph Aoun and the Saudi ambassador comes a few days before a three-day meeting in Paris dedicated to discussing Lebanon, which will be attended by representatives of Saudi Arabia, France, the United States and Qatar. Representatives from Cairo may also attend.
The meeting is expected to center on discussing a political roadmap for Lebanon and the presidential vacancy.