Arab league official continues Lebanese talks with "optimism"


dpa German Press Agency
Published: Wednesday December 13, 2006

Beirut- Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa continued Wednesday his talks with Lebanese leaders with "hope and optimism" to reach a solution to the political crisis dividing the country. Mussa said he was "encouraged" after meeting key Christian leaders, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir and former general Michel Aoun, whose followers have joined the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah in mass protests against the anti-Syrian majority government since December 1.

"The contacts I have made are encouraging," Mussa told reporters after meeting Sfeir.

The Arab League chief stressed that there were serious problems, but said that "all leaders were cooperative in reaching a solution."

Mussa was expected to meet anti-Syrian deput and Druze chief Walid Jumblatt and former president Amin Gemayel whose son, anti-Syrian industry minister Pierre Gemayel, was assassinated on November 21.

According to a Lebanese political source "Mussa's initiative will need some time and more negotiations outside Lebanon with some Arab and foreign countries, like Syria, Saudi Arabia and Washington."

Mussa had met late Tuesday with Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasarallah and a source close to the Arab League chief told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that Nasrallah "was open to certain ideas put forth by the Arab League secretary general, which encouraged Mussa to pursue mediation.

"The Arab league secretary is hopeful that the Lebanese will overcome this crisis," the source added, noting that Mussa was "working on organizing the views in one single package which will be accepted by all the parties."

According to local political analysts, one of Mussa's ideas might be to separate the controversial issue of an international tribunal into the slaying of ex-premier Rafik Hariri from other political issues in Lebanon.

Mussa is also due to hold more talks with Prime Minister Foaud Seniora, parliament speaker Nabih Berri and pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud before departing on Friday.

The Arab League initiative came as meanwhile thousands of opposition protesters, led by Hezbollah, continued their mass public demonstrations outside the government's doorstep.

The opposition has threatened to form its own interim government in the coming days if its demands for a greater say in the government are not met.

Seniora's cabinet, which witnessed the resignation of six pro- Syrian ministers last month, sent to parliament late Tuesday its support of the UN draft to create the tribunal into the assassination.

But pro-Syrian speaker of parliament Emile Lahoud rejected the cabinet's decision, saying it was made by a government that no longer represents the Lebanese people. Lahoud for his part has refused to convene a session of parliament until the current crisis is solved.

An ongoing UN probe into the bomb blast that killed Hariri and 20 others in February 2005 has implicated senior Lebanese and Syrian officials.

Syria was for decades the powerbroker in its smaller neighbour. But after Hariri's assassination, Damascus was pushed by the international community and the Lebanese anti-Syrian camp to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, following 30 years of presence.

Since then, ties between the two countries have been tense. Damascus has vehmently denied any links with Hariri's assassination.

Lebanon's opposition is mainly pro-Syrian group who are calling for the formation of a national unity government that would give them more power. But the anti-Syrian majority reject this and instead are demanding early presidential elections to replace Lahoud.

Lahoud's term is due to end in November 2007 after his term was extended in 2004 for three more years under Syrian pressure.

Despite the political tension in the country, Seniora's government has received the full backing of Arab and foreign countries as well as the UN Security Council.

The Security Council reiterated on Tuesday its "full support for the legitimate and democratically-elected government of Lebanon... and condemns any effort to destabilize Lebanon."

Seniora, who has been holed up in his offices since the start of the month, is also scheduled to visit Moscow for talks with Russian esident Vladimir Putin on Thursday, his office said.

Seniora's visit comes a day after Syrian President Bashar al Assad is scheduled to hold similar talks in Moscow.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency