Jubeir: Saudi Arabia Won't Interfere when Problems Arise with Aoun

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault that his country has no positions as for the presidential elections in Lebanon, al-Akhbar daily reported on Friday.

Replying to a question about the series of presidency meetings carried out by al-Mustaqbal Movement ex-PM Saad Hariri to help solve the impasse, al-Jubeir told Ayrault: “Saudi Arabia is not concerned with the steps taken by Hariri. Lebanon is Hariri's country and he is free with his choices. Besides, we will not be concerned when problems start emerging with Aoun,” diplomatic sources quoted al-Jubeir as saying.

The meeting between the two men came at the sidelines of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York late last month.

Jubeir's comments show that the presidential impasse in Lebanon is not a priority for the kingdom, having its hands full with the situation in Yemen, according to the daily.

Media reports said that Paris is in the process of moving its diplomatic efforts to keep up with the new presidential movement assumed by Hariri, mainly with Tehran.

The reports noted that contacts were held previously between Tehran and Paris demanding the facilitation of the presidential elections.

Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.

Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.