Region | Lebanon
Lebanese talks stumble, hit new snags
Talks between rival Lebanese factions in Qatar teetered near collapse yesterday, as Arab mediators pushed for a minimal "declaration of intentions" that would send the participants home to Beirut without resolving Lebanon's 18-month political stalemate.
- AP
- Published: 00:21 May 20, 2008
- Speaker Nabih Berri with opposition Christian leader Michel Aoun during an opposition meeting in Doha.
- Image Credit: Reuters
Beirut : Talks between rival Lebanese factions in Qatar teetered near collapse yesterday, as Arab mediators pushed for a minimal "declaration of intentions" that would send the participants home to Beirut without resolving Lebanon's 18-month political stalemate.
Top-level negotiations between the US and Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition had hit snags from the beginning, and after three days of discussions in a Doha hotel, neither camp appeared willing to make concessions.
Arab League chief Amr Mousa told reporters that the talks were "in the middle of the road" but conceded the sides were each "talking about something else." "We are trying to get them closer to each other," Mousa said.
The Hezbollah-led faction issued a statement on Monday saying it wants both key issues - a national unity government and a new election law - resolved before returning to Beirut, where the election of Lebanon's next president would follow in parliament.
The statement indicated that Arab mediators, perhaps impatient at the talks' slow progress, may have tried to get the sides to at least agree to elect compromise candidate Michel Sulaiman as president, while postponing agreement on other points.
That's a demand the pro-government majority pressed for in recent months, but which the opposition refused, insisting on a package deal.
Earlier yesterday, the negotiations stumbled on the issue of the election law. The legislation is significant because it translates to how the sides will distribute power in Beirut and will be key to who gets a majority in the next parliament, in 2009. Shiite opposition lawmaker Hassan Yacoub told private LBC Television from Doha, Qatar, that the 'problem is in ... dividing Beirut.'
The Qatar talks follow an Arab-mediated deal that got the Lebanese sides to end a week of the country's worst violence since the 1975-1990 civil war and agree to hold negotiations on overcoming the country's 18-month political crisis.
As such, they were a breakthrough, but the first challenge to the talks came on Saturday, when Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's side demanded a discussion of Iranian-backed Hezbollah's weapons. The group stuck on Sunday to its refusal to give up its arsenal.
Veto power offer
The Lebanese government said it was determined to get assurances the Hezbollah would not again turn their guns on fellow Lebanese, as they did in the violence two weeks ago.
Hezbollah's weapons are as sore point in Lebanon. Most militias voluntarily disarmed after the civil war but Hezbollah was allowed to keep its arms to fight Israel and has since built a huge arsenal, some of which was used in the 2006 summer war with Israel.
Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun told Lebanon's Orange TV, a channel he co-owns with political supporters, that the government side was offering the opposition veto power in a future national unity government, as long as the Hezbollah-led side agrees to a government-drafted election law.
Aoun called the suggestion 'childish' because the national unity government would only rule Lebanon until the next parliamentary elections in May 2009.
Sectarian clashes: Geagea wants Arab troops
Prominent Christian leader Samir Geagea on Monday demanded the deployment of Arab troops in Lebanon to provide security following sectarian clashes which sent the country to the brink of civil war.
"I put forward a clear proposal to the Arab committee, [to deploy] Arab peacekeeping forces," Geagea told reporters in Qatar, where he was taking part in crisis talks between Lebanon's rival leaders brokered by the Arab League. "This demand will become more pressing" if the Doha talks fail, he added. "If we want real stability this is the solution," Geagea said.
Share this article
Related Articles
-
Lebanese rivals fail to strike deal
Talks in Doha to end Lebanon's political crisis suffer setback
-
Lebanese foes trade charges
Feuding Lebanese factions trade charges at Doha talks
-
Lebanese due to respond to peace push
Qatari prime minister pushes proposals at Lebanon talks
-
Doha talks hit Hezbollah arms hurdle
Lebanese politicians postpone issue of Hezbollah's weapons
-
Profiles: Key players at the Doha talks
Key players at the Doha conference
-
All eyes are on Doha
All eyes are on Doha
-
Day three of Lebanon talks sees progress
Progress made but tough obstacles remain on third day of Lebanese talks
-
Last chance to avoid a civil war
Last chance to avoid a civil war
Popular in News
News Editor's choice
-
Ajtebi's phenomenal assent
The former camel jockey was at the peak of his powers when upstaging Garret Gomez
-
US pushing for more aid to Philippines
Obama administration eyeing $667m security assistance package
-
Mohammad launches H1N1 campaign
Shaikh Mohammad was the first one to receive the H1N1 vaccine.
