Gebran Bassil in Paris to present his position
Any serious presidential candidate must flirt with foreign capitals, and Gebran Bassil has understood this well. On the move to Paris since yesterday after a visit to Doha last week, the strong man of the Free Patriotic Movement, who considers himself a “logical candidate” for the supreme office, seems to be working to advance his pawns in the race for Baabda. Indeed, even if he has never officially declared himself a candidate, the timing of the visit of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs to the French capital is questionable. And for good reason: last Saturday, President Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman about the Lebanese presidential election. The two leaders are supposed to discuss the new Lebanese file on the sidelines of the G20 summit currently being held in Indonesia. And at the local level, Hezbollah seems to be gradually emerging from its passivity in the presidential battle in favor of the zaïm of Zghorta Sleiman Frangié, to the chagrin of the Aounis.
Personal initiative
“Gebran Bassil’s visit to Paris is a personal initiative. He has not received an official invitation from France,” a French diplomatic source told L’Orient-Le Jour. From concordant sources, we know that the Christian leader will still know political leaders in France to discuss with them the subject of the presidential election. They would be Bernard Émié, Director General of External Security and former Ambassador to Lebanon, Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the President and also former Ambassador to Lebanon, and Patrick Durel, Elysée Advisor for Africa North and Middle East. Will it be about self-promotion? On the side of the CPL and relatives of Mr. Bassil, we prefer not to comment on the visit. “The party has made the decision not to discuss this issue with the press,” said May Khoreiche, vice-president of the CPL. “Gebran Bassil is trying to show the international powers, his local allies, but also his rivals, that he is working to push his candidacy for the presidential election”, however comments to L’Orient-Le Jour an Aouniste executive on condition of anonymity. The head of the CPL should benefit from the improvement in its relations with Paris, especially thanks to its key role in the negotiations on the demarcation of the maritime border between Lebanon and Israel which paved the way for the exploitation of gas Lebanese in the Mediterranean by the French hydrocarbon giant,
TotalEnergies. This Parisian trip comes as the candidacy of the genre of former President Michel Aoun is currently going through a crisis, especially since in the eyes of several observers, it is Sleiman Frangié who remains the not yet declared favorite of Hezbollah, the only ally of PLC. This is all the more the case since the characteristics described last week by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah apply to the leader of the Marada, his most constant Christian ally. “We want a president who would not betray the resistance and would not plot against it,” the Shiite cleric said in what sounds like the northern leader’s statement a few weeks ago from Bkirké: “I’m not plotting against my allies, but I don’t take orders from them either. »
“Gebran has a say”
Despite the fact that the signals sent by Hezbollah increasingly point to Sleiman Frangié and that, according to our information, France has declared itself open to this scenario, Gebran Bassil does not seem ready to refuse arms. “France wants to see the election of a unifying president in Lebanon. Or, Gebran Bassil is a very divisive character. Still, if a compromise emerges around his candidacy, we will not oppose it, ”says a French diplomat. A very difficult semblance at the current moment, when the leader of the CPL is increasingly isolated on the local scene, not to mention the American sanctions to which he is subject. “Gebran Bassil is perhaps not the one who has the best chance of becoming president… but he has the keys to Baabda”, underlines however the aforementioned Aounist executive. “His position is central today, since he is between the two camps (March 8 and March 14), but does not agree with either of them. And neither of the two camps will be able to elect their candidate without the support of the Christian bloc represented by the CPL”, he analyzes.
The move of the head of the CPL therefore aims to remind that he will not be the next President of the Republic, the successor of Michel Aoun will not be appointed without him. “France is aware of the fact that Gebran Bassil chairs a Christian parliamentary group of weight and that he therefore has a say in the election”, adds one on the side of the CPL. On the French side, we say we are ready to hear what Mr. Bassil has to say. “France has never broken communication with anyone. From Hezbollah to the Lebanese Forces, through the protest, we consult with everyone, ”says the diplomatic source.
Any serious presidential candidate must flirt with foreign capitals, and Gebran Bassil has understood this well. On the move to Paris since yesterday after a visit to Doha last week, the strong man of the Free Patriotic Movement, who considers himself a “logical candidate” for the supreme magistracy, seems to be working to advance his pawns in the…