After months of stalling and obstructing the government formation, Lebanese leaders may still have a chance with France.
Citing French diplomats, the government-owned TV station Télé Liban reported that French President Emmanuel Macron intends to invite Lebanese officials to Paris for a conference.
This comes days after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian ended his visit to Lebanon expressing that there was no visible effort from Lebanese officials to rescue their country.
Despite this, Macron is giving them another chance in a determinative conference that would reportedly put an end to Lebanon‘s collapse by agreeing on the terms of a new government.
The government would be able to implement reforms and unlock financial support from the international community, displaying that the French initiative is still on the table.
However, the Vice President of Saad Hariri‘s Future Movement Mustafa Alloush thinks otherwise. In comments to a local newspaper, Alloush said that Le Drian’s visit was to inform the Lebanese officials that the French initiative had come to an end.
France apparently still intends to impose travel bans on certain Lebanese officials whom it deems “corrupt” and blocking the formation of a new government.
From witnessing firsthand the idleness of Lebanese politicians to threatening them with travel bans and potential sanctions, France continues to demonstrate a keenness to rescue crises-crippled Lebanon.
The conference with president Macaron in Paris could be France‘s last attempt to do so.
