Girault Continues Meetings with Officials, Presidential Elections a Focal Point
The series of meetings held by the director of the department of the Middle East and North Africa at the French Foreign Ministry, Jean-François Girault, with Lebanese officials since his arrival indirectly backed the election of MP Robert Ghanem as Lebanon's president, reported al-Akhbar daily.
On Tuesday, Girault continued his meetings with Lebanese politicians. He met with former President Michel Suleiman who praised “any effort that would lead to attending a parliament session to elect a president.”
Later the French diplomat met with the Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, and afterwards with Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel.
Gemayel said after talks with Girault that “we should exert efforts locally to elect a new president otherwise all foreign efforts are useless.”
Since his arrival, Girault held meetings with Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, former PM Najib Miqati, al-Mustaqbal bloc head MP Fouad Saniora, Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat.
The diplomat is also expected to meet with Hizbullah's International Relations Officer Ammar al-Moussawi.
According to unnamed sources, “Girault has raised a profile of the next president very much close to that of MP Ghanem,” basing his suggestions on the “lack of opportunities for Geagea and Aoun which presses the necessity to find another candidate without requiring a constitutional amendment.”
The French official arrived in Beirut on Sunday for meetings with Lebanese leaders to discuss the thorny file of the presidential elections, media reports said.
The only statement made by Girault was after his meeting with Salam, when he stressed that: “France is concerned about the presidential vacuum in Lebanon,” and that it is exerting all efforts to help the nation cross that stage.
Sources close to the Lebanese officials that met Girault said that months ago when France discussed the issue of the presidential elections in Lebanon with Iran, the latter used to say that there is still plenty of time, the daily added.
But the new Iranian initiative kicked off three weeks ago when Tehran contacted France and expressed interest in the presidential elections which encouraged the French side to start consultations with Lebanese officials.
Lebanon has been left without a president since May, when the tenure of President Michel Suleiman ended, because of sharp differences between the rival March 8 and March 14 alliances.
D.A.
H.K.
Source: Naharnet
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