The Elysée special emissary for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, in Beirut on July 25, 2023. (Credit: Nabil Ismail)
BEIRUT — Jean-Yves Le Drian, the special envoy from the Élysée Palace to Lebanon, landed in Beirut Tuesday afternoon for a 24-hour visit aimed at "inaugurating a new phase in the presidential process," according to information obtained by L'Orient-Le Jour. The presidency has been vacant since Michel Aoun’s term ended in late October 2022, amid ongoing internal tensions and a series of crises.
Le Drian is set to meet with outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, and several political leaders, including Sleiman Frangieh, the Marada leader and presidential candidate backed by Amal and Hezbollah. Sources indicate the French diplomat is unlikely to meet with Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, following a tense previous encounter. Additionally, he will be received at Bkerkeh by Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai.
This trip follows roughly two weeks after a tonal shift by the Quintet (United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar) involved in trying to solve the presidential deadlock, shifting toward an approach of "consultations, limited in scope and duration, between the political blocs."
This article was originally published in French on L'Orient-Le Jour.
