Report: Duquesne in Beirut Wednesday to ‘Revive’ French Plan

French presidential envoy, Ambassador Pierre Duquesne is scheduled to arrive in Beirut on Wednesday for talks with Lebanese officials on the French plan, and the stalled government formation, the Saudi Asharq el-Awsat newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Lebanese political sources told the newspaper that the French envoy has scheduled meetings for Thursday and Friday with Lebanese officials. They said that discussions are set to discuss the formation of a cabinet in Lebanon.

The daily said the dispatching of Duquesne is seen as a new French effort to ease the obstacles hampering the efforts of PM-designate Saad Hariri to form a cabinet, following a failed initiative proposed by President Emmanuel Macron in the aftermath of the August 4 explosion.

Macron visited Lebanon two days after the August 4 Beirut port explosion that disfigured the city, and returned three weeks later to check on the status of reforms he conditioned international support on.

The roadmap Macron laid out for debt-ridden Lebanon included a two-week deadline for the formation of a tighter and independent government of experts, that would only stay in office a few months.

But since his designation early in October, Hariri’s efforts to form a government of independent experts, abiding by the French rescue plan has faltered over reported demands for ministerial portfolios and shares.