Saudi Arabia is seeking with its allies in Lebanon and abroad to create a conducive climate for the election of a consensus president who can gain the support of not only the major Christian parties, but also all national stakeholders, sources familiar with the presidential vote efforts said.
While Riyadh insists it does not support a certain candidate and will not veto any names, this does not prevent the kingdom from having distinct historical ties with some candidates, the sources said.
Saudi Arabia prefers to leave presidency-related matters to take their natural course, they added.
The Saudi attempts to secure internal and external consensuses over the presidential polls are also in accord with the Vatican’s efforts in this respect.
The sources added that the Vatican was exerting strong pressure to remove obstacles to elect a successor to former President Michel Sleiman, whose six-year term ended May 25.
The Vatican is hoping the Lebanese will agree on the next president’s qualifications before choosing candidates.
According to the sources, behind-the-scene consultations made by Vatican circles over the Lebanese presidential election have reached an advanced level, compared with previous attempts, and are currently centered on some Christian leaders who still insist on their candidacy for the presidency.
Hence, the recent statement by the Papal Nuncio Gabriel Caccia in which he said that internal, regional and international circumstances have become favorable for the election of a new president in Lebanon soon.
Meanwhile, political sources noted Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea’s visits to Saudi Arabia whenever Lebanon stood at an internal crossroads.
Following Geagea’s first visit to the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Jeddah in the summer, Parliament’s mandate was extended for two years and seven months in November.
Although Geagea had opposed the extension, the LF lawmaker’s participation in the Parliament session to vote for the extension secured Christian support for it after a boycott by the Kataeb Party and MP Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement.
Geagea is currently on an official visit to Riyadh, during which he has had talks with senior Saudi officials and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, centering on the political deadlock that has left Lebanon without a president.
Hariri and Geagea, the March 14-backed presidential candidate, agreed during their meeting on the need to quickly elect a president.
Geagea’s Saudi trip this time is likely to have a direct impact on the impasse, especially since Saudi officials reiterated during their meetings that the failure of Christian leaders to agree on a candidate stood in the way of filling the country’s top Christian post, the sources said.
Sources familiar with Geagea’s relations with Saudi Arabia said Riyadh has said it is eager to see the top Christian leaders agree on a solution that will lead to the election of a president as soon as possible, given the negative repercussions on the domestic Lebanese situation.
Saudi Arabia considers that the crucial changes the region is undergoing require Lebanese institutions to be in good shape, and this cannot happen without a head of state.
They added that Geagea’s trip to Riyadh was not unexpected because it had been decided during his previous visit.
Referring to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who returned to Beirut last week to meet with Geagea, the sources said: “Arab and Western interest in Geagea clearly shows that he has become a key player in the internal equation and sounding out his opinion on major events is listed on international agendas. He is no longer among the leaders who are informed of decisions by a second party but rather directly.”
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