Paris Wants Lebanon 'Solution' before December 8

France is pressing the Lebanese parties to reach a solution to the political crisis before December 8, the date of the International Support Group for Lebanon’s meeting that Paris has called for, a media report published Sunday said.

“The atmosphere is positive and a cabinet session will be held on Thursday at the latest to issue a statement” that defines the government’s policy towards the regional conflicts, Lebanese sources informed on the ongoing contacts told Kuwait’s al-Qabas daily.

“It will not replace the Policy Statement according to which the government had won the confidence vote,” the sources noted.

The expected statement will “underline the principles that guarantee Lebanon’s interest and will address the current questions, including the dissociation policy, the Taef Accord and Lebanon’s ties with its Arab neighbors,” the sources added.

They said that negotiations are underway to finalize the statement before the upcoming cabinet session.

“In parallel with the domestic negotiations, there are external consultations with the states that contributed to ending the crisis, topped by France and Egypt,” the sources added.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri had caused widespread perplexity on November 4 when he resigned during a TV broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing assassination threats and blasting the policies of Iran and Hizbullah in Lebanon and the region.

After a puzzling mini-odyssey that took him to France, Egypt and Cyprus, Hariri arrived back in Lebanon after around two weeks of absence and then announced that he was putting his decision to quit on hold ahead of negotiations.

Many questions remain unanswered following the unprecedented scenario that saw Lebanon's prime minister resign in a foreign country suspected of keeping him under “house arrest” and return only after the apparent intervention of France.

But while Hariri and his backers seemed on a collision course with Hizbullah last month, an apparent behind-the-scenes deal now appears to be restoring the status quo.