To reach a consensus candidate

French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian ends his mission in Lebanon today with a second meeting with Speaker of the House of Representatives Nabih Berri, amid talk about the possibility of his return to the country to complete his initiative, parliamentary sources said, via the "Akhbar Al-Yawm" agency.

They said: it is likely that positivity will appear in the subject of the dialogue called for by President Berri, as there is a tendency to extend invitations to him, especially after the meeting of Sunni deputies at the residence of the Saudi ambassador in Beirut Walid al-Bukhari in the presence of the grand mufti of the Republic Abdul Latif Derian, who stressed the dialogue and in the presence of the French delegate.

In this context, the same parliamentary sources saw that regional and international efforts are being made at this stage to elect a president of the Republic, especially after the entry of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the line, because it cares about the issue of presidential entitlement, and pointed out that everyone is waiting for the meeting of the five-party committee on the Lebanese situation during this month to rush towards a political settlement that satisfies all parties and political components in Lebanon.

Hence, the sources pointed out that the possibility of holding the dialogue has become acceptable, and it will be followed by the election of a president of the Republic in successive sessions without disrupting the Quorum, noting that Le Drian did not mention anyone by name during his meetings, especially with Sunni deputies, but what was described about this meeting confirms the importance of reaching a consensus candidate.

One of the deputies stressed the keenness to implement the terms of the Taif Agreement and that the dialogue should emphasize this point in addition to financial and economic reforms and relaunching the wheel of movement in the country, starting with the election of a new president and the formation of a national unity government.

The same MP expected the president to call for dialogue after the political settlement, which will lead to the election of a president of the Republic.