Report: French Diplomatic Delegation Heads to Beirut to Discuss Presidential Elections
France is exerting efforts with the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in order to highlight to Lebanese leaderships the dangers of failing to hold the presidential elections, reported the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa daily on Sunday.
It revealed that a French diplomatic delegation is expected to visit Lebanon soon in order to discuss with Christian leaders the upcoming elections.
It will stress the need to avoid having Christians become victims of the Sunni-Shiite conflict in the region.
It will explain that the new president should be elected through the Lebanese parliament as stipulated by the constitution.
The delegation will travel to Lebanon later in January.
Meanwhile, western diplomatic sources told al-Anbaa that the United States, Britain, and France, in cooperation with Russia and China, will pressure Lebanese powers in March to hold the presidential elections and avoid any vacuum.
The sources stated that the elections are more important than the formation of a new government.
President Michel Suleiman's six-year term ends in May.
There are growing fears that the ongoing dispute between the March 8 and 14 camps over the formation of a new government may result in the postponement of the elections.
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