France favours Frangieh to become Lebanon president in search for viable way forward
A French diplomatic source has told The National that Suleiman Frangieh, leader of the Christian Marada party and the Hezbollah-backed candidate, is still favoured for Lebanon’s presidency by the government in Paris.
Recent reports suggested that France had withdrawn its support.
“Nothing has changed,” the source said.
“It is still deemed the most pragmatic option in the current context, given the absence of a more viable solution.”
Paris has long endorsed a formula involving Mr Frangieh as the head of state, balanced by someone from the opposing camp as prime minister.
One possible prime ministerial candidate is diplomat Nawaf Salam.
“We maintain a non-veto stance on any candidate, and should a stronger option emerge, we are open to re-evaluating our choice,” said the diplomat.
The French government views this as the sole option to overcome a political impasse, as Lebanon finds itself in its eighth month without a president since Michel Aoun’s term ended on October 31.
Mr Frangieh visited Paris in April at the invitation of Patrick Durel, adviser to the Elysee Palace on Middle Eastern and North African affairs.
According to the diplomat, a viable candidate for the Lebanese presidency should support the economic reforms requested by the International Monetary Fund.
Lebanon has been negotiating an aid package from the IMF to address the country’s economic crisis since 2020.
In Lebanon, Mr Frangieh is regarded as the candidate of Hezbollah – the Iran-backed party opposing those more aligned with Saudi Arabia.
But developments suggest there has been a change in the Saudi position.
On Thursday, Mr Frangieh met Saudi ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari, who he described as a “cordial and excellent” envoy.
Last week, Mr Bukhari said that his country viewed the presidential election as an internal matter and that the kingdom would not exercise a “veto” on any candidate.
The source said that Mr Frangieh was not, strictly speaking, France’s designated candidate for the presidency.
“Lebanon holds sovereignty over who they elect,” the source said. “Our involvement to support the most realistic option is a way to speed up the process, as, despite the urgency of the situation, Lebanon has faded from the international agenda.” Karim Emile Bitar, associate research fellow at the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs in Paris, said that following talks between France and Saudi Arabia, the kingdom does not object to the election of Mr Frangieh.
“While they might not be very enthusiastic, France’s endorsement of this formula would not have happened without Saudi Arabia in the loop,” he said.
On Wednesday, Samy Gemayel, the leader of the Christian Party Kataeb, said he refused any Hezbollah-backed candidate, claiming that the opposition “first want to prevent Hezbollah’s takeover of the presidency and then suggest a name”.
“If Hezbollah continues to impose its decisions on the Lebanese, that could lead to civil war,” he said. “We can’t accept being crushed.”
The Lebanese Parliament remains deeply polarised.
Despite convening 11 times, with no 12th vote scheduled, it is still unable to elect a new president.
Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a June 15 deadline.