Dubai: Regional mediation efforts to solve Lebanon's political crisis have been completely blocked due to the opposition's unflinching position of removing caretaker Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri from the government, according to an informed source.
Hariri meanwhile said, in a televised speech last night, he was insisting on leading the new government and that he was the parliamentary majority's only candidate for the post. But Arab news channels said his rival former prime minister Omar Karami "will probably win more votes" when president Michel Sulaiman begins the customary consultations to nominate a new premier on Monday.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia, a key player in Lebanese politics, said it was abandoning mediation efforts. Qatar and Turkey also followed suit yesterday.
In a joint statement issued by the Qatari and Turkish foreign ministries, they said the efforts "resulted in a working draft that takes into account political and legal demands to resolve the current crisis in Lebanon based on the Syrian-Saudi initiative".
But given certain reservations, they decided to suspend their efforts in Lebanon for the time being and to leave Beirut in order to consult with their leadership, the statement added.
The opposition, led by Hezbollah and two Christian parties, "no longer accept the presence of Sa'ad Hariri as a head of the government," a source, who asked not to be named, told Gulf News.
Druze leader Walid Junblatt, who until last week was Hariri's main ally, "has changed his position and decided to completely support the opposition's candidate," Al Arabiya TV station said last night. Karami is the opposition's nominee for the prime minister's post.
The source said previous efforts to mediate were blocked due to Hariri's refusal to reject the Special Tribunal for Lebanon which will soon implicate Hezbollah in the assassination of his father and former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
While no immediate comment from Hezbollah was available, analysts close to the group denied the government accusations of aborting the mediation.
"These are lies," Brigadier General (retired) Ameen Hetate told Gulf News. He accused the Lebanese government of taking anti-resistance positions as a service to the US interests in the region.
Yet, he confirmed that the Hezbollah and its allies reject the presence of Sa'ad Hariri in any leadership position.
Hetate played down fears of confrontation in Lebanon and said the country will not be divided.
Sate' Nour Al Deen, a prominent Lebanese columnist, told Gulf News that Lebanon was heading towards a confrontation and Hezbollah would soon change the political landscape of the country.
"Hezbollah feels as if it has been unfairly accused and they are not accepting the accusation," he said.
With inputs from AFP
