French President Emmanuel Macron's special envoy for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal ben Farhan during a meeting in Riyadh, Sept. 27, 2023. (Credit: X/@KSAMOFA)
French President Emmanuel Macron's special envoy for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, discussed the "Lebanese file" with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal ben Farhan on Wednesday, the Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on X (previously Twitter).
"The Minister of Foreign Affairs received the emissary Jean-Yves Le Drian," read the post. The two men discussed "bilateral relations between the Kingdom and France, ways of strengthening them in various fields and discussed the latest developments in the Lebanese file as well as regional and international issues," the message added.
#الرياض | سمو وزير الخارجية الأمير #فيصل_بن_فرحان @FaisalbinFarhan يستقبل المبعوث الخاص للرئيس الفرنسي إلى لبنان السيد جان إيف لودريان. pic.twitter.com/9VybZgcbVm
— وزارة الخارجية ?? (@KSAMOFA) September 27, 2023
Advisor to the Saudi Royal Court, Nizar bin Suleiman al-Aloula, who is in charge of the Lebanese dossier and Waleed Bukhari, the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, were present at the meeting, according to the post on X.
Jean-Yves Le Drian was appointed in June as France's special envoy for Lebanon, which has been without a president since the end of Oct. 2022.
France and Saudi Arabia are both members of the Group of Five, alongside the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The Group is trying to find a solution to the country's political crisis and has met three times in recent months to discuss the Lebanese file.
The latest meeting of the quintet, following meetings in Paris and Doha, took place on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
In a recent interview with L'Orient-Le Jour, Le Drian called on Lebanese political leaders to "find a third way" out of the impasse.
The former French minister also threatened local officials with sanctions if they did not find a way out of the crisis as soon as possible.
Farhan addressed the situation in Lebanon in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday.
"We stand by the Lebanese people and call on all parties to launch the comprehensive reforms that will lead to a way out of the crisis," he said.
