Report: Major Powers Locked in Struggle for Presidential Polls Influence
The major powers are locked in a race for influence in Lebanon's presidential elections as Michel Suleiman's six-year term nears its end, As Safir newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The daily said that the United States is backing elections to choose a new president and has sent an envoy who has a specific mission to follow up the polls.
But the report said that France, which is also expected to send envoys to Beirut, believes the current situation in Lebanon and the region is not encouraging, and that elections could not be held given the difficulty to reach an understanding between the Western countries and regional and local parties on a single candidate.
Paris prefers Suleiman's term, which expires in May, be extended, according to As Safir.
Its stance is also backed by Saudi Arabia, the daily said.
It quoted however a U.S. diplomat as saying that Washington prefers the election of a new president even if he was a personality not allied with it.
Among the names making the rounds are Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Marada movement chief Suleiman Franjieh, who are both members of the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance.
Other names include the March 14 camp's Phalange party chief and ex-President Amin Gemayel, and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.
The presidential elections could be a topic of discussion between U.S. President Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh over the weekend, As Safir said.
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