Vatican Shies Away from Presidential Deadlock as Girault Continues Initiative

Director of the department of the Middle East and North Africa at the French Foreign Ministry Jean-François Girault visited last week the Vatican to discuss the presidential crisis in Lebanon, As Safir newspaper reported on Saturday.

Girault reportedly met with the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura Archbishop Dominique Mamberti , who informed him that the Vatican has no veto on any Lebanese presidential candidate.

“Both sides agreed to support France's initiative” to end the presidential deadlock in Lebanon, a diplomatic source close to Girault told the newspaper.

The source stressed that the Vatican and France have no veto on any presidential candidate, pointing out that priority is to elect a new head of state that is acceptable to all parties.

The source also revealed that the Vatican has no initiative to end the presidential stalemate, adding that it supports endeavors exerted by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi to unify the Christians and agree on a consensual candidate.

As Safir reported that Girault will head on Monday to the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh as part of his ongoing efforts to resolve the vacuum in the presidency in Lebanon.

The French official is expected to meet with senior Saudi officials, in particular, head of Saudi Arabia's intelligence Prince Khaled bin Bandar, who is reportedly following up the presidential stalemate in Lebanon.

Girault will later on visit Iran, where he is expected to relay to Iranian officials the details of the talks he held on the presidency during his recent meetings with Lebanese officials.

Girault had held meetings during his two-day visit to Lebanon with Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, former PM Najib Miqati, al-Mustaqbal bloc head MP Fouad Saniora, al-Rahi, Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea, Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat and former President Michel Suleiman.

He said during his talks that “France is concerned about the presidential vacuum in Lebanon” and that it is exerting all efforts to help the nation cross that stage.

Lebanon has been left without a president since May, when the tenure of Suleiman ended, because of sharp differences between the rival March 8 and March 14 alliances.

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