Le Drian's visit to Lebanon sparks surge in pessimism.
French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian's recent visit to Lebanon did not yield positive results, with sources saying that no president will be elected for at least a year and the presidential vacuum will not end for at least three months. Le Drian asked for a dialogue, but the Patriarch did not respond and Speaker Nabih Berri refused to call for it. Le Drian also told Hezbollah that the rival camp is willing to discuss a third choice, and France does not intend to sponsor a dialogue conference similar to Doha or Saint-Cloud.