Despite all the interpretations and attempts to divert the visit of the Saudi envoy, Prince Yazid bin Farhan, from its objectives, a source familiar with the Saudi position told Nidaa Al Watan that all such campaigns will lead nowhere, because the Saudi stance is one of absolute support for the President of the Republic in the negotiation process, and support for Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his government in the steps they are taking to impose the authority of the state. The source also stressed Saudi insistence on maintaining a balanced relationship with all components, including the Shiite community, noting that the position toward Hezbollah is separate from the relationship with the community, while consultations continue with Speaker Nabih Berri, who is known for his political acumen.
The source affirmed that the negotiating track is backed by Saudi Arabia and that there is no solution except through this path. The Lebanese president is negotiating to stop the war, establish a truce, and recover the land, and this is what the Shiite component wants. The path to peace that Aoun is pursuing is supported by Arab states. As for normalization, that is a Lebanese matter, and it is premature to speak about it, because there is still a long process ahead to establish calm, then reach an agreement and achieve peace. Discussing normalization now amounts to skipping stages or getting ahead of events, and this issue is neither the focus of the current discussion nor the core of the problem.
