Quintet nations hold talks with Lebanese parliament speaker in effort to resolve presidential deadlock

BEIRUT: Ambassadors from the Quintet Committee held talks on Tuesday with the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Nabih Berri, as part of the efforts to kick-start the stalled process of choosing the country’s new president.

The gathering was described as a “coordinative meeting to exchange proposals and listen to Berri's views without issuing any position on behalf of the committee.”

The presidency has been vacant since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022, as politicians have been unable to agree on a replacement. The Quintet Committee on Lebanon includes representatives of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, the US and France. Its efforts to help break the political deadlock in the presidential selection process, and implement the political and economic reforms required to unlock international funding for the crisis-hit nation, began during a meeting in February last year in Paris.

A second meeting of the committee, which took place in Doha in July, concluded with a statement urging all Lebanese parties to fulfill their responsibilities by reaching a consensus on a suitable choice for president who is not tainted by allegations of corruption.

The participants also discussed ways in which reforms could be implemented to satisfy conditions set by the International Monetary Fund and clear the way for international aid to help the country resolve its long-running economic crisis.

The outbreak of the war in Gaza in October has added to an already complex situation surrounding the selection of a new president, with Hezbollah and the Amal Movement linking the process to events in Gaza, and in southern Lebanon where there are ongoing clashes between Israeli and Hezbollah forces.

During the meeting on Tuesday, Berri was joined by the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, and the envoys from Qatar, Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al-Thani, Egypt, Alaa Moussa, France, Herve Magro, and the US, Lisa Johnson.

According to reports, no specific choices of presidential candidates were discussed because that is considered a matter for the Lebanese to decide.

Following the meeting, Magro said: “The ambassadors are in agreement and will soon meet with political officials in Lebanon.”

Berri said: “The position was unified and the meeting was useful and promising.”

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement support former minister Suleiman Franjieh in the presidential election, while opposition parties are rallying behind Gen. Joseph Aoun, whose term as army commander was extended for a year in December. He had been due to vacate the post in January but there was no agreement between political faction on who should fill the important position.

During 12 previous electoral sessions, the parliament failed to get past a first round of voting. The most recent attempt by politicians to select a new president took place in June last year. Jihad Azour, a former finance minister backed by the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement, received 59 votes, while Franjieh, Hezbollah’s preference, received 51.

Neither of them reached the threshold of 86 votes, a two-thirds majority of the 128 MPs, required for victory in the first round of voting. If a second round is needed, the threshold falls to 65 votes. However, a quorum of two-thirds of MPs is required for any vote to take place, and previous voting sessions have broken down when Hezbollah MPs and their allies walked out after the first round.

According to reports, “there are deliberative endeavors and ideas focused on reaching an agreement on a comprehensive settlement in Lebanon, linked to restructuring the political power and which takes into consideration the situation in southern Lebanon and the restoration of stability.”

Other reports have stated that “the Quintet Committee prefers to separate the presidential election file from the Gaza war developments” given that Hezbollah has on several occasions said it does not link the conflict with Israel to the presidential vacancy.

Meanwhile, hostilities along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel continued for a 115th day, despite bitterly cold weather.

Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had targeted “a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the surroundings of the Hadeb Yarin outpost, using missiles.” The militant group also said its “sniper force directly targeted spying equipment adjacent to the Wazzani village on Tuesday afternoon.”

The Israeli army shelled the outskirts of several border villages in Lebanon, while warplanes attacked the village of Aita Al-Shaab and areas on the outskirts of Mays Al-Jabal and Houla, reportedly targeting residential properties.