By IINA,
Doha : The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani formally opened yesterday night talks between rival Lebanese leaders which aim to resolve a protracted political conflict that has pushed their country to the brink of a new civil war. Lebanese government and opposition leaders flew to Doha a day after Arab mediators reached a deal to end the country’s worst internal fighting in nearly two decades. In a brief address to the politicians, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa stressed the need to preserve Lebanon’s unity and said he hoped the rivals would reach an agreement.
The Emir expressed the hope that the dialogue would be a success, in order to restore security and stability to Lebanon. “We all want to protect the future of Lebanon by preserving its unity,” the Emir said. Qatar wanted to be a place to open a useful dialogue, he added.
The Emir urged the disputing factions to consider the past and the future of Lebanon, which is based on accepting the others.
The sessions, being held at the Sheraton Doha Hotel, are chaired by the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and members of the Arab ministerial committee taking part. Qatar invited the leaders to Doha for talks to end the political standoff that has paralyzed government for 18 months and left Lebanon without a president since November. “We hope that we will finish what we have started. I’m optimistic,” said Moussa, who together with Qatar’s prime minister helped broker the agreement which ended the fighting, Gulf Times reported.
An influential member of the US-backed ruling coalition, which was dealt a military blow by Hezbollah in the fighting, said both sides must be flexible to avoid further bloodshed. “Each one of us and them must offer concessions to bury strife,” Walid Jumblatt said before flying to Doha. “We are going to the dialogue with a great political wound.” Washington blames Syria and Iran for Hezbollah’s brief seizure of parts of Beirut last week which forced the government to rescind two decisions which had triggered the escalation. Hezbollah, a political group with a powerful guerrilla army, had seen the government move to ban its communications network as a declaration of war.
In another concession, the ruling coalition appears to have dropped its demands that the election of a new president precede discussions on a new cabinet and parliamentary election law — the two main issues on the agenda of the Qatar talks. “The atmosphere is excellent and we will put our efforts into reaching a solution which is in the interest of all Lebanese,” Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an opposition leader, told the Lebanese As Safir newspaper. The opposition has demanded more say in a cabinet controlled by factions opposed to Syrian influence in Lebanon.
Syria, which backs the opposition and is an ally of Iran, said it supported the Qatari-led Arab League initiative. “This step could be a real chance to save Lebanon from the dangers that threaten it,” Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moualem told As Safir. “We are absolutely with the initiative.” Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon after the killing of former prime minister Rafik Al Hariri in 2005. Saudi Arabia, a strong backer of the ruling coalition, also stated its support for the deal. Riyadh said this week that Hezbollah’s campaign could affect Iran’s ties with Arab states. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, speaking in Riyadh, stressed the importance of all parties abiding by commitments not to use violence for political gain. The ruling coalition’s refusal to yield to the opposition’s demand for veto power in cabinet triggered the resignation of all its Shia ministers in November 2006. Lebanon was plunged into its worst political crisis since the civil war.
Recent clashes killed 81 people and exacerbated sectarian tensions between Shias loyal to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and Druze and Sunni followers of the ruling coalition. As US President George W Bush visited Saudi Arabia, Washington expressed its support for the Doha talks and vowed not to interfere. “We are pleased that there is now a process, that the fighting in the streets have stopped,” a senior US State Department official, who requested anonymity, told reporters. “What we are doing is making it clear first of all that we do support this process because there are a lot of people who would like to say that we don’t,” he said. “We are in touch with Lebanese from across the political spectrum… to note that we are supporting this process, that we will be helpful but not interfering with this process.” A deal would lead to the election of army commander General Michel Suleiman as president. Both sides have long accepted his nomination for a post reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system. Under a deal, the opposition would also remove a protest camp that has closed off central Beirut since December 2006.