French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, leaving a meeting at the Élysée Palace on Oct. 12, 2022. (Credit: Ludovic Marin/AFP)
BEIRUT — French Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna referred to "openings" in the political deadlock in Lebanon during a speech at the annual ambassadors' conference at the Élysée Palace on Tuesday. The minister's remarks, which did not specifically mention the presidential election, come as the presidential vacuum in Lebanon continues, with no president elected since Michel Aoun's mandate expired on Oct. 31.
"Lebanon is also a unique country that France will not abandon. With the President of the Republic, and with Jean-Yves Le Drian appointed as the president's personal representative for Lebanon, whose actions I want to acknowledge, we have spared no effort to push options and change the situation. Today, openings are emerging. On this basis, we continue our work," she stated, according to a press release issued by the minister's office.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron directly pointed the finger at Iran, holding them responsible for the Lebanon's presidential election deadlock, during his annual speech to ambassadors at the Élysée Palace. He stated that a key element for a political solution in Lebanon "will involve clarifying Iran's interferences." Denouncing "the regional destabilization activities that Iran has carried out in recent years," Macron affirmed that "re-engagement must also involve clarifying Iran's policy toward its direct neighbors, toward Israel and its security, toward Lebanon and its stability." He took the opportunity to "particularly thank Jean-Yves Le Drian for the mission he is leading" to "find a political path" in Lebanon. "In any case, I think that a key element of this political solution in Lebanon will involve clarifying regional interferences, including those of Iran," Macron added.
Paris is engaged in a mediation mission concerning the presidential crisis in Lebanon, entrusted to former French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. Dispatched to Beirut in June by Macron, Le Drian returned in late July after a meeting in Doha with the Group of Five countries (France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt).
During this second visit, he proposed that the parties debate the characteristics and program of the next president rather than his name in order to minimize tensions. Later, Le Drian sent MPs a written questionnaire about the profile and priorities of the next president, a move that was strongly criticized by the opposition to the Hezbollah camp as well as by Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai.
The diplomat's mission, which aims to bring all political factions together for dialogue during his next planned visit between Sept. 10 and 12, appears increasingly fragile.
Some opposition figures continue to accuse Paris of playing into Hezbollah's hands and those of its Iranian sponsor, and of not having moved past a highly controversial reported deal in which the Marada Movement leader, Sleiman Frangieh, would be elected as the head of state in exchange for the appointment of an opposition-backed prime minister.
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement support the candidacy of their ally Frangieh for the presidency. In the most recent failed electoral session, held on June 14, Jihad Azour, a senior official from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the opposition-backed candidate, obtained 59 votes against 51 votes for Frangieh in the first round of voting. As in previous sessions, Hezbollah and its allies left Parliament before a second voting round, causing a loss of quorum and the collapse of the session.
