Meeting of Quintet ambassadors on May 16, 2024, shared by the United States Embassy in Beirut. (Credit: X / @usembassybeirut )
BEIRUT – The ambassadors from Egypt, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States have announced that some Lebanese political groups are ready to elect a president "before the end of May 2024," according to a statement issued in a joint communique on Thursday and shared by the US Embassy on social media platform X.
"Lebanon cannot wait another month," the ambassadors said. The country has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended on Oct. 31, 2022. "The election of a president is crucial to ensuring Lebanon's effective presence and position in regional discussions, and for the signing of a future diplomatic agreement on its southern borders with Israel," the statement reads. This comes amid ongoing cross-border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel along the countries' border, as Israel continues its devastating onslaught on Gaza.
The Quintet's ambassadors underlined the "delicate situation" facing the Lebanese people and reminded that they have engaged in discussions with various political factions in the Chamber of Deputies. "These groups agree on the urgent need to elect a president and are prepared to make efforts to achieve this goal. Some groups are ready to do so before the end of May 2024," the statement said.
The diplomats also called for "time-limited consultations on specific topics" among the different political factions "to end the current inertia." These consultations should be "aimed solely at identifying a widely acceptable candidate or establishing a short list of candidates."
Following these consultations, the diplomats suggest, deputies should hold an open session with successive rounds until a head of state is elected. The ambassadors expressed readiness to attend and participate in these consultations.
In recent weeks, the quintet ambassadors have met multiple times to work on shaping the outline of an agreement that can be swiftly acted upon once the war ends, in order to unblock the presidential election process.