Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa
said he saw progress in his talks with Lebanese rival leaders which may end the
ongoing political deadlock in the country, DPA
report.
"I can say that my talks today might form a basis to achieve progress in
the Lebanese political crisis," Mussa told reporters after two hours of
talks with Lebanon's House Speaker Nabih Berri.
"I saw a serious chance for reaching a solution," he said without
elaborating.
Mussa, who arrived in Beirut earlier Thursday, conferred with Berri, Christian
opposition leader Michel Aoun and presidential candidate army commander Michel
Suleiman.
All his talks with Lebanese leaders are based on the Arab League initiative,
Mussa.
Earlier a close aide said Mussa's objective was to try and broker the Arab
League initiative to end the Lebanese political impasse which has kept the
country without a president since November 23, 2007.
The Arab peace initiative calls for the immediate election of the president to
be followed by the formation of a national unity government based on the
constitution and the passing of a new electoral law.
Mussa is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Fouad Seniora and later with the head
of the parliamentary majority Saad Hariri.
This is Mussa's fifth visit this year to Lebanon to try to broker the
three-point Arab initiative, which was adopted in Cairo by Arab foreign
ministers in February.
Lebanon's majority leader Saad Hariri has called for presidential election on
May 13.
"It is the duty of each MP in political blocs who claim they agree on
electing consensus candidate (army commander) Michel Suleiman (as president) to
go to parliament on May 13, and vote for him," Hariri was quoted as saying
earlier this week.
Hariri said he favours dialogue with the opposition on condition a president is
elected on May 13. He said he was waiting for a response from Berri for a
bilateral meeting to discuss dialogue subjects and guarantee presidential
elections.
Berri has called for national dialogue among rival blocs to settle the current
political crisis.
The ruling coalition previously rejected Berri's dialogue initiative and
refused to open talks before electing a new president.
Lebanon is facing its most complicated political crisis since the 1975-1990
civil war ended.
Rival leaders agreed on Suleiman as a consensus presidential candidate, but
could not agree on the shape of the new government or the new election law.
The presidential deadlock has deepened the Lebanese political crisis and fears
are mounting that failure to reach a deal on the presidential candidate could
result in more violence in the country.
Mussa is also in Beirut to attend the opening of the Arab Economic Forum on
Friday in Beirut.
...