France continues to interfere in Lebanon presidential election

According to Progressive Socialist Party’s al-Anbaa news website , Jean-Yves Le Drian , the French President’s Special Envoy to Lebanon might postpone his upcoming visit to Lebanon from the first week of September to the third week of September to make sure the dialogue between the Iranian backed Hezbollah militant group and the Free patriotic movement will result in the backing of Franjieh by FPM

“France is looking forward to the dialogue between Hezbollah and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil and is awaiting its outcome and hoping it will be positive, because any presidential agreement between the two parties might largely mean that Bassil would back Suleiman Franjieh’s nomination,” al-Anbaa added.

On the other hand the Lebanese Forces “will not take part in Le Drian’s dialogue should he call for it in September and will not answer the questions that the French envoy had sent (to parliament) days ago.”

Suleiman Franjieh is the presidential candidate of Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement .

France, the former colonial power has reportedly been pushing for Franjieh’s election not for Lebanon’s sake but to guarantee Hezbollah’s protection of Total Energy when it starts drilling offshore Lebanon, in case of any attack by Israel

Hezbollah is the only militia that was allowed by the Syrian occupational force to keep its arms at the end of the civil war

Not a French colony

Last week French senator Nathalie Goulet slammed the French policy in Lebanon and Africa, as she criticized the French interference in the Lebanese affairs.

Goulet sarcastically described French envoy Jean Yves Le Drian as “spirited” and criticized him for sending questions to the Lebanese MPs, through the French embassy, about the required qualifications of their future president.

“No but seriously!” Goulet exclaimed Thursday on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter. 

“Lebanon is not a colony,” she went on to say, accusing France of interfering in the crisis-hit country affairs. 

“This is an insult to the Lebanese,” the French senator charged.

In 2013 France rejected branding Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist , even after several other European countries took that step – including the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany.