Despite the extensive meeting held yesterday at the “Mansour Palace,” which included members of the legislative and executive authorities, as well as the Army Commander General Michel Aoun, the election date remains uncertain. The Council President has not yet specified a date.
The session was held, and former President Sleiman Frangieh and his son Robert moved from Ehden to Damascus yesterday. Afterward, Robert returned to West Beirut at night to hold talks with political leaders in preparation for a final decision on candidacy. President Amin Gemayel sent a special envoy to Paris to deliver a message to the French government regarding the upcoming events and the possibility of Paris playing a positive role in this regard, as well as in the relationship between Beirut and Damascus. President Gemayel had a distinctive stance on the elections, considering that a consensus candidate or a conflicting candidate is a sign of the health of democracy and the parliamentary system in Lebanon. However, he pointed out, in a notable manner, that the Lebanese constitution takes into account all possibilities, interpreted by some observers as the potential formation of a transitional government in case of a vacuum.
“The Lebanese Front” and the “Islamic Meeting” met yesterday, and the topic was the elections. In Damascus, there is active political movement regarding the presidential elections in Lebanon, with the focus on Syrian Vice President Mr. Abdul Halim Khaddam.
Yesterday afternoon, Deputies Jamil Kebbi and Zaki Mazboudi headed to Damascus to continue communications with Syrian officials, and they will meet Syrian Vice President Mr. Abdul Halim Khaddam.
Former President Sleiman Frangieh also headed to Damascus yesterday afternoon, accompanied by his son Robert, for consultations in the Syrian capital. Robert Frangieh left Damascus at night by land, arriving around ten o’clock at the “Bristol Hotel” in the Hamra area.
He will continue his contacts and meetings today in West Beirut and hold a series of preliminary meetings leading to those that President Sleiman Frangieh may conduct later in the “West.”
The upcoming events have entered a stage of local and regional maneuvering. Locally, the maneuvering revolves around the method of selection. According to informed political circles, there are three approaches to selection: through a Lebanese-Syrian summit, a list put forward by the ruling authority and its allies, or through envoys. The circles indicate that we have not delved into the depths because we are still in the stage of selection and designation.
From Damascus, visitors to the Syrian capital reported that Syrian officials conveyed to those concerned that the party with the right to veto does not have the right to choose. If it has the right to both, there is no need for any veto, and the right to nominate whoever one wishes becomes effective. A well-informed diplomatic source explained that the Americans consider the upcoming events as a fundamental and important stage. They are trying to separate it from the Middle East file, which Syria is attempting to deal with comprehensively. The presidential elections in Lebanon are one element of this deal.
As part of American interest in the Lebanese events, there is currently a U.S. team in Paris. They have set up an operations room that deals with the Lebanese events, led by Ambassador April Glaspie. The U.S. State Department asked her to postpone her return to her post in Baghdad until mid-September. This team includes a French official who is in constant contact with the Vatican and the European Group.
In this context, it is known that French President Francois Mitterrand is closely monitoring the developments daily through reports from Beirut. Meanwhile, President Gemayel sent a special envoy to the French capital to discuss with officials the upcoming events and the post-election phase, particularly in terms of the proposed reforms.
Diplomatic sources suggest the possibility of a visit by the U.S. envoy Mr. Richard Murphy to the French capital. He will be briefed there by the U.S. working team on the surrounding atmospheres of the upcoming events. It is expected that he will return to the region later to continue discussions with Syrian officials. According to these sources, they are trying to reach an agreement with the Americans on the next phase. Therefore, the list of potential presidential candidates is still being discussed, as both teams have not yet reached the stage of finalizing the names. Even the names discussed in the “chat” between Murphy and Khaddam have not been officially presented. Mr. Khaddam announced that there are “vetoes” added to the three basic vetoes. The sources pointed out that the ruling party and its allies have entered into very detailed discussions with the candidates, attempting to explore guarantees for the next phase. According to the sources, the Americans are focusing on the issue of the end of the war and the necessity of the full return of legitimate authority with all its institutions, ensuring an American role in the political process for the existing actors and forces on the ground.