In a significant diplomatic gathering, Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, on Monday convened with the Ambassadors of the Quintet Committee at his Ain el-Tineh residence. Among the attendees were US Ambassador Lisa Johnson, French Ambassador Hervé Magro, KSA Ambassador Walid Bukhari, Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa, and Qatari Ambassador Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Discussions centered around general affairs and political updates, with particular emphasis on the upcoming presidential elections.
Reflecting on the meeting, Berri remarked, “The meeting was productive and will be repeated. Consensus is built on the necessity of achieving an understanding to fulfill the upcoming electoral process.”
For his part, the Egyptian Ambassador said, “Today, we had the honor of being received by Speaker Berri as ambassadors of the Quintet Committee. This meeting falls within the committee’s efforts to make headway in the presidential dossier, aiming towards electing a president at the earliest opportunity.”
“The obj
ective of this meeting is to initiate dialogue with Speaker Berri to reaffirm his commitment, both publicly and within the committee, to spare no effort in facilitating the presidential election process. We have had detailed discussions with his excellency, and we will address these details in future meetings with various political forces, without exception and at intervals,’ the Egyptian diplomat said.
The ambassador further stated, “We have a series of discussions in the coming days, with another round aiming to formulate a convergent viewpoint among all parties, laying common ground that greatly facilitates concluding the presidential process.”
Responding to queries about the Quintet’s renewed momentum, the Egyptian Ambassador emphasized flexibility as a key theme.
“Positive signals primarily revolve around flexibility. This electoral process has seen some rigidity from its inception, and what we seek is to mitigate this rigidity and seek common ground. Recent positive signals make the process more flex
ible, allowing us to create the conducive environment we discussed to achieve a breakthrough in the presidential dossier,’ the Egyptian Ambassador explained.
Regarding the tangible breakthrough in the presidential dossier, he clarified, “The tangible breakthrough is essentially the political factions’ conviction that consensus among them is crucial. When we talk about consensus, it implies everyone’s readiness for dialogue, discussion, and consultation to reach a mutually agreeable outcome, which is what we are striving for.”
Touching upon the significance of the parliamentary bloc and its activism, the ambassador emphasized its importance. “The movement of the ‘centrist’ bloc and others in parliament is crucial and necessary. Once again, we emphasize that this process is solely owned by parliament and no other party. Therefore, the ‘centrist’ movement is significant, as is the activism of others. I will refrain from discussing further details and focus on broad outlines, with more detailed discussions to c
ome in the following days, God willing,’ the Egyptian diplomat concluded.
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon
