Ghada Halawi wrote in “Nidaa Al-Watan”:
The banner of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna praised the positions of President Michel Aoun “during his long career” and underlined “the election of a president within constitutional deadlines”. The diplomatic visit has reopened the doors of Lebanese-French communication through official channels and through the Presidency of the Republic, which increases the possibility that the next few hours may witness second steps at the level of this relationship.
The goal of the visit is to revive stagnant French efforts, from which no far-reaching results are expected, but has changed the negative French climate that has prevailed throughout the past period, and has devoted a realistic return to leisure time to say that France will be on Lebanon’s side in the government and presidential voids, without having a role in the settlement, at either level.
Once again, France returns to Lebanon, its gateway to the Middle East and the only remaining foothold in the region. France does not miss an opportunity shown by Lebanon’s legitimate guardian and her tender mother ”. Her attempts don’t always count on results. Since your president Emmanuel Macron’s visit, she has failed to push for a solution to any of the crises in Lebanon. Her internal circumstances did not help him at all and she witnessed successive upheavals before the Ukrainian-Russian war had a negative impact on her. It should be noted that France is constantly striving to be on Lebanon’s side. You also record your repeated attempts, both with the Americans and with Saudi Arabia, to solicit aid from Lebanon. Regardless of the results, France is the only European country that hasn’t left Lebanon, but hasn’t been able to reach that bailout breach in return. Since Macron’s visit, she has been unable to end the American role, which has disturbed her interference and encircled her role in the wake of the port explosion, and has failed her quest to host a Lebanese national dialogue under the its sponsorship. It also failed to secure international aid to Lebanon and all it achieved was providing limited aid in partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Throughout the crisis and from 17 October to today, France has remained present, albeit morally. Colonna’s visit to Lebanon for hours fits into the context of emphasizing the role, without the high diplomat carrying a French initiative or a password linked to the multiplicity of Lebanese internal rights.
But precisely because the visit took place in the wake of the maritime demarcation agreement, and in the wake of the two-session failure to agree on the name of a new presidential candidate, and the failure to reach an agreement with the IMF means that the three files were inevitably assisted in their visits to the presidential seat. In the three stations, as well as at the airport, he stressed the need to elect a new president of the republic in compliance with constitutional legitimacy, and that “the historic agreement concluded by Lebanon with Israel on the demarcation of maritime borders will not replace the reforms that remain a priority and the deal with the World Bank must be implemented. “But what the French foreign minister did not announce is that he stressed to officials that there is no presidential candidate for his country and that he will not work to support a particular figure while trying to urge interested parties to agree on the election of a president by the end of this year at the latest, I have also avoided getting into the naming game or appearing as a supporter of one character at the expense of another.
Regarding the maritime demarcation, he said that the main role was played by the Americans, but his country was present and facilitated the agreement, explaining the steps of the French company “Total Energy”, which will lead the exploration in the field Qana’s Lebanese in search of gasoline.
One cannot speak of a new French campaign, the French visitor, as much as it is a confirmation of the presidency and the regularity of the work of the institutions and the success of the negotiations with the IMF, or to raise issues related to the interests of his country and its presence. in Lebanon. The IDP file was not absent from the discussions and Lebanon asked France to play an auxiliary role in bringing them back to their homes to avoid a future crisis due to Lebanon’s inability to continue hosting them. His response was that “the key to this situation is the improvement of the situation in Syria”. This means that France is still subject to the return of the displaced to a political solution. A ministerial source described the visit as limited to congratulating the maritime agreement and lobbying for the formation of a new government and the election of a president so that Lebanon can get back on its feet and restore its role and status. location in the region. But it was also extraordinary that his government speech depends on the election of a “new president” who will be “a fully functioning government in the future”. In other words, he has overcome the change of the current government, because the most important thing in France is to elect a president to be built on the basis of what is required.
