Report: Fabius 'Cautiously Optimistic' over Tackling Presidential Deadlock during Iran Trip
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is expected to tackle during his upcoming visit to Iran Lebanon's presidential vacuum amid the ongoing disputes between its rival political camps, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Saturday.
A French source told the daily that the minister is “cautiously optimistic” over tackling the issue with Iranian officials with hope that it will facilitate staging of the polls.
Fabius is scheduled to travel to Iran next week.
France's Middle East envoy Jean Francois Girault had previously tested Iran's position on the presidential deadlock prior to Tehran's agreement with the West over its nuclear program, added al-Hayat.
The deadlock was among the topics of discussion between Fabius and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, who met him in Paris on Thursday.
The French source added that “all options are open at the moment”, including the possibility that Iran will stick to its position of supporting Hizbullah, which is backing the election of its ally Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun as president.
Fabius' visit will determine whether Tehran has altered this position since Girault's latest visit to Iran prior to the nuclear deal.
The French source meanwhile described as “good and significant” the meeting between Fabius and Mashnouq.
The foreign minister is in “constant contact” with the Saudi leadership “meaning “Fabius' Iran visit and communication with Riyadh could help move forward the Lebanon's presidential file,” an Arab diplomatic source told al-Hayat.
Fabius had informed Mashnouq that France will exert “all possible efforts” to resolve this issue, it added.
Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor.
Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have been thwarting the polls.
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