French FM to Lebanon’s Leaders: ‘Get Moving’

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. AFP file photo
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. AFP file photo
TT

French FM to Lebanon’s Leaders: ‘Get Moving’

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. AFP file photo
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. AFP file photo

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday urged Lebanese leaders to push to resolve the country’s political stalemate.

"Political authorities should get moving because the country is in a dramatic situation," he told French public radio.

The government of Saad Hariri resigned in late October under pressure from protests against the political elite that has overseen decades of corruption and bad governance.

Hariri is expected to be named again Lebanon's prime minister.

He wants to lead a cabinet of specialist ministers which he says would be able to tackle the crisis and attract foreign aid, while his opponents want a combination of politicians and experts.

President Michel Aoun's formal consultations with lawmakers to designate the premier, postponed from last week, are scheduled to take place on Monday despite the dispute.

"It should be clear to anyone who might nominate Hariri tomorrow (Monday) that he will only form a government of specialists," a source close to Hariri told Reuters.

Aoun is required to choose the candidate with greatest support among parliament's 128 lawmakers.



US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
TT

US Links Ankara-Damascus Normalization to Political Solution in Syria

Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)
Meeting between Erdogan and Assad in 2010 (Archive)

Recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his willingness to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to normalize relations between the two countries have sparked mixed reactions.
While the Syrian opposition sees the possibility of such a meeting despite the challenges, Damascus views the statements as a political maneuver by the Turks. Meanwhile, the United States has tied the normalization process to achieving a political solution in Syria based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, issued in 2015.
Turkish media reported on Thursday that a US administration official, who was not named, confirmed that Washington is against normalizing relations with the Syrian regime under Assad. He emphasized that Washington cannot accept normalizing ties with Damascus without progress toward a political solution that ends the conflicts in Syria.
Meanwhile, the head of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, Hadi al-Bahra, stated that a meeting between Assad and Erdogan is possible despite the obstacles. In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, Bahra said the meeting is feasible, even though Ankara is fully aware that the Assad regime cannot currently meet its demands and understands the regime’s limitations.
Bahra pointed out that the UN-led political process remains frozen and that he had briefed US and Western officials on the latest developments in the Syrian file. On Saturday, Bahra participated in a consultative meeting in Ankara with the Syrian Negotiation Commission, along with a high-level delegation from the US State Department, during which they exchanged views on the political solution and the need to establish binding mechanisms for implementing international resolutions related to the Syrian issue.
On the other side, Assad’s special advisor, Bouthaina Shaaban, dismissed Erdogan’s announcement that Ankara is awaiting a response from Damascus regarding his meeting with Assad for normalization as another political maneuver with ulterior motives.
Shaaban, speaking during a lecture at the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was reported by Turkish media on Thursday, stated that any rapprochement between the two countries is contingent on its withdrawal of forces from Syrian territory.