By Xinhua
Beirut : New round of telephone discussions between Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri have raised “new ideas to settle the Lebanese crises,” local As Safir daily reported on Tuesday.
Berri told the daily that he is “still betting on the Arab initiative,” disclosing that there are “new ideas which we are working on to reach a consensus solution,” without elaborating.
“The discussions showed an Arab willingness to listen to both opposition and ruling coalition points of view, away from tense atmosphere in Beirut,” the daily said.
Meanwhile, Al Akhbar daily reported that a number of phone discussions between Moussa and Berri proposed “new ideas” to reach an agreement before the next presidential election session scheduled for March 11.
Meetings between Lebanese delegates from the opposition and ruling coalition, sponsored by Moussa in Cairo, were considered in the discussions, said the report.
During his several missions to Beirut, Moussa has failed so far in convincing the two Lebanese parties to accept an Arab plan which was endorsed in Cairo on Jan. 6.
The three-point plan aimed at immediately electing Lebanese Army Commander General Michel Suleiman as Lebanese president and proceeding to forming a government of national unity and drafting a new electoral law.
Lebanese presidential seat has been vacant since former President Emile Lahoud ended his term on Nov. 24, 2007 and the sharply divided Lebanese parliament has delayed the elections for 15 times without a consensus.