Independent MP Michel Moawad receiving French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, in Beirut, June 23, 2023. Photo ANI.
“I was taken aback by the letter,” Georges Adwan, the head of the Lebanese Forces (LF)'s parliamentary bloc, wrote on Twitter.
Adwan, like the other parliamentary bloc leaders and independent MPs, received French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian's missive, requesting them to concisely describe the profile and key priorities for Lebanon's next president.
Adwan said he believes the letter was a faux pas on the part of Le Drian.
This is a “vacation assignment” — as one internet user put it — that they have to submit by Aug. 31, in preparation for Le Drian's next visit, slated for early September.
The anti-Hezbollah camp, led mainly by the LF, was already unenthusiastic about Le Drian's mission. His letter further exacerbated the situation and is likely to deal a heavy blow to the next phase of the French initiative.
'Not exactly reasonable'
Originally dispatched to Beirut in June by French President Emmanuel Macron to help find a way out of the presidential election impasse, Le Drian returned to Lebanon at the end of July after a Doha meeting with the Group of Five (France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt).
During his second visit, the French envoy proposed a discussion of the profile and program of the new head of state, rather than his name, to alleviate tension.
This proposal was not enough to convince the anti-Hezbollah camp, who believe the presidential election should be held in Parliament and according to the rules of the democratic game.
Hezbollah continues to endorse the candidacy of Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh and to force a quorum loss in Parliament to block any attempt for the election of any other candidate.
"Given the current impasse, the letter was sent to the MPs," a French diplomat told L'Orient-Le Jour. “We assume the academic nature of the [democratic] exercise because we want to obtain a synthetic and clear vision of the considerations of all the stakeholders. »
The diplomat added that, upon his return to Beirut, Le Drian hopes to conduct bilateral meetings with all the concerned stakeholders in a bid for informal dialogue.
The opposition, however, has a different perspective and believes the French envoy committed an error.
“I have no doubt about Le Drian's good intentions,” said MP Ghayath Yazbeck (Lebanese Forces/Batroun). “But it's not exactly reasonable to send MPs of an independent nation a questionnaire, asking them to answer two such important questions, by a deadline and as briefly as possible. »
Yazbeck added: “This is especially since [Le Drian] knows what our answer would be, as we had already held talks with him in July. Also, after the meeting of the Five, I believe the profile of the next president was clearly defined. »
The Group of Five has, on several occasions, called for the election of an independent president that does not pose a challenge to any political player and who is not involved in corruption.
Will the opposition respond to the questionnaire?
On Wednesday, 31 opposition MPs issued a joint statement underlining the “futility of any formula for dialogue with Hezbollah and its allies. »
"The time for decision-making has come, and there is no more time to lose in setting up circumstantial arrangements that will maintain Hezbollah's control over the three presidencies of the three executive branches (the presidency, the premiership, and Parliament, and over the country),” the statement said.
The anti-Hezbollah MPs also affirmed that they will not take part in any dialogue that does not include the disarmament of the pro-Iranian party.
“It's tit for tat,” says Michel Moawad, a reformist MP from Zgharta and one of the signatories of the statement.
“Any form of dialogue in this context only paves the way for submission to Hezbollah's logic. As a result, the opposition will not respond to the French diplomat's request,” Moawad added.
"Our opposition partners and we are simply not going to respond to the letter," added Yazbeck.
While the Lebanese Forces and several opposition MPs confirmed that they will not respond to the French letter, Taymour Joumblatt's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) said it is still considering its decision, according to a party source.
The French diplomat could also try to rally support from the remaining MPs, notably the March 8 camp and the centrists, but there are no guarantees such a tactic would be successful.
“The majority of MPs will respond to the questionnaire, and some will even consult their constituents beforehand,” said an independent MP. “The absence of the opposition is regrettable, insofar as it risks hampering the efforts of French diplomacy. »
Some observers were expecting a breakthrough on the presidential issue in September, especially if Le Drian managed to bring the different political players together.
According to sources close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the speaker pledged to hold continuous electoral sessions if the Lebanese agree on the profile of the next president and if two or more candidates are in the running.
“We will not attend any comprehensive meeting with any players that are not within Parliament,” said Yazbeck, but added that he is open to further bilateral meetings with the French envoy.
The opposition's firm stance cannot be examined in isolation from the events of recent days.
An LF member was assassinated in Ain Ebel in the South. This was followed by the incident in Kahaleh when a Hezbollah weapon-laden track overturned, followed by an exchange of fire between party members and locals from the predominately Christian area.
“It is becoming increasingly clear to us that we cannot dissociate the issue of sovereignty, reform, justice, and good governance from the presidential election,” said Moawad.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translation by Sahar Ghoussoub.