French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed his former foreign minister as his personal envoy to Lebanon to try to break the political deadlock in the country, a year after his own efforts to do so failed.
Macron led international efforts to resolve the political and economic crisis in Lebanon that intensified after a massive explosion in Beirut in 2020 that killed more than 200 people.
But after nearly four years, France failed to push politicians to reconcile their differences and carry out economic reforms that would unlock foreign aid.
After 11 parliamentary votes to try to name a successor to President Michel Aoun, whose term ended at the end of October, Lebanon still has no head of state, and living standards for most Lebanese have plummeted over the last year.
On Wednesday, Macron appointed Jean-Yves Le Drian, who served as foreign minister from 2017-2022, to try to find ways out of the political deadlock.
"In the spirit of friendship that binds France to Lebanon, the President of the Republic continues to act in favour of a solution to the institutional crisis and the implementation of the reforms necessary for the recovery of this country," the French presidency said in a statement.
France, Lebanon’s former colonial ruler, retains some sway, but other powers have influence, notably Saudi Arabia, with members of Lebanon’s Sunni community, and Iran, which backs the Lebanon-based Shiite movement Hezbollah.
Considered a political heavyweight, Le Drian is a former Socialist lawmaker and served as defence minister for five years under President Francois Hollande between 2012-2017.
As foreign minister, Le Drian had been in charge of implementing several of Macron's initiatives for Lebanon.
His appointment is likely to undermine current Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, a former ambassador, but political novice.
(with newswires)
