Lebanon's Jumblatt calls for dialogue

Beirut: Dialogue is the only solution to the political standoff in Lebanon, opposition figure Walid Jumblatt said in comments published on Wednesday.

Lebanon has been without a president since last November because the parliament has not formally elected a president.

"The crisis will only be resolved through dialogue whereby each side makes meaningful concessions to the other side," Jumblatt told the pro-opposition daily As-Safir.

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri had called for dialogue to tackle the matters of dispute: the formation of a national unity government and the drafting of a new electoral law.

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora rejected the call, insisting that Berri needed to convene a session of parliament to elect a new president first.