Jean-Yves Le Drian, France's special envoy to Lebanon, in Erbil in July 2020. (Credit: Safin Hamed/AFP/File photo)
BEIRUT — France's special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, who last month led talks in Beirut with all political actors regarding Lebanon's presidential vacuum, will return to the capitol "in the coming weeks," the French Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
"Jean-Yves Le Drian had the opportunity to report to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, [Catherine] Colonna, on the preliminary conclusions of his mission," a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said in a press briefing. "This first mission, which lasted a few days in Lebanon, enabled him to meet all the leaders, political and religious, of civil society, and thus to establish an initial assessment of the situation, which he was able to report back to Madam Colonna to shape the next stage of his mission."
Asked about a possible trip by the emissary to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as well, the spokeswoman said, "At this stage, I have no further details on a date for Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian's trip to Lebanon, but he will be going there ... in the coming weeks."
At the end of an official visit to Beirut in June, Le Drian called for Lebanon to elect a president without further delay. The post has been vacant since October 2022, when Michel Aoun's term in office came to an end.
According to Lebanese press reports, Le Drian is expected in Beirut on July 16 or 17.
The French Foreign Ministry was also asked about France's involvement in Hezbollah's removal of one of the two tents it had set up in the disputed region of the Kfar Shuba Hills and Shebaa Farms, on the border with Israel.
"I am not aware of any French involvement in the discussions you mentioned," said the spokeswoman.
Regarding the exchange of rocket fire between Lebanon and Israel on Thursday, she said she had "no further information confirming this new violence."
"But in any case, you know France's commitment to the Blue Line and to respecting the ceasefire, which is reflected in our constant involvement in the United Nations Interim Force," she concluded.