Washington is not seeking to circumvent the initiative led by French President Emmanuel Macron to save Lebanon from its severe economic, financial and political crises, well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
They noted that the visit of Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker to Beirut was not intended at competing with the French initiative or preventing it from achieving its desired goals.
During the visit, Schenker decided to limit his talks to a group of activists in civil society organizations and the eight deputies, who resigned from Parliament and with whom he met in Bikfaya on Thursday evening at the invitation of the head of Kataeb party, resigned MP Sami Gemayel.
According to the sources, coordination was ongoing between Washington and Paris. They stressed that Macron’s return to Beirut was organized in all its details with the US administration. This explains Schenker’s insistence on excluding from his agenda all those who met with the French president from his agenda, lest it be said that he was leading an invisible political campaign to disrupt the French initiative.
The sources considered that Macron’s initiative to save Lebanon falls within two frameworks: addressing the economic, financial and social crises, which were exacerbated by the devastating explosion at the Beirut Port on Aug. 4 and resolving the political situation, starting with the formation of a government of specialists and professionals who also have knowledge of the political situation.
According to the sources, the newly appointed prime minister, Mustapha Adib, would pledge to commit to the reform paper prepared by Macron - which would also serve as a first draft of the new government’s ministerial statement, especially as it had the unconditional support of all those who met the French President.
The transitional government will have a mission to stop the collapse, provided that it will be succeeded by a political government that will look into Hezbollah’s weapons, the defense strategy and the policy of active neutrality that was proposed by Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rai, the sources underlined.
