Le Drian told dialogue must be limited to presidency as crisis stalls

Several Lebanese political forces told French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian during his latest visit that any inter-Lebanese dialogue should be limited to the issue of the presidential election, a media report said.

“Talk of a dialogue tackling the system’s foundations and the positions and gains of each sect is out of the question, which means that the maximum that can be done is a Doha 2 (agreement),” al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

Asharq al-Awsat daily meanwhile said that ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Tammam Salam sensed -- after meeting caretaker PM Najib Mikati on Monday – that Le Drian’s mission is stalling and that he has failed to achieve any breakthrough leading to a “consensual candidate.”

“This means that the presidential vacuum will further protract,” the newspaper added.