Region | Lebanon
Mousa engages Lebanon rivals in talks
Arab League chief Amr Mousa said more time was needed to resolve Lebanon's political stand-off after he brought the feuding parties together on Friday.
- Reuters
- Published: 01:04 February 9, 2008
- Image Credit: Reuters
- Amr Mousa (centre) with Lebanon's feuding leaders, former president Ameen Gemayel (left), Parliament majority leader Sa'ad Hariri (right) and Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun (second right).
Beirut: Arab League chief Amr Mousa said more time was needed to resolve Lebanon's political stand-off after he brought the feuding parties together on Friday.
Distrust between the anti-Syrian ruling party and the Hezbollah-led opposition is increasing after a 15-month-long political crisis.
Mousa brokered the meeting between the pro-Western governing coalition leader Sa'ad Hariri and Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun, in the first talks between the rival factions since mid-January.
Mousa said there was "no confidence" between the rivals and urged the leaders to tone down their rhetoric.
"The tone is sharp and I hope that Lebanese go back to a tone that everyone understands. The sharpness of the tension ... is something we have to remedy."
The leaders discussed an Arab states' initiative, which calls for the election of army commander General Michel Suleiman as president and the formation of a national unity government. The rival factions have agreed on Suleiman but dispute the formation of the new government.
Ameen Gemayel, a ruling coalition Christian leader, was also present at the four-hour-long roundtable talks in downtown Beirut's parliament building.
"There is room for agreement but there are also issues that need more discussion," Moussa told reporters after the meeting.
"Based on the principle of friendly negotiations and the joint desire to reach a solution, we agreed that we need another meeting." Mousa's earlier attempts at reconciliation failed.
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