By IINA,
Doha : Qatar yesterday proposed the formation of a unity government as a possible way out of the current crisis in Lebanon, according to a delegate attending a meeting of rival Lebanese leaders in Doha. The proposal came on the second day of talks aimed at resolving a protracted political impasse in Lebanon which erupted into deadly sectarian fighting and saw the Hezbollah group and its allies temporarily seize swathes of west Beirut, AFP reported. The Qatari suggestion was to postpone a decision over a disputed electoral law and move directly to the election of army chief Michel Sleiman as Lebanese president, the delegate said following a meeting between HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the main leaders of the Lebanese factions.
It also proposed forming a unity government of 30 ministers, with 13 ministers from the majority, 10 from the opposition and seven to be chosen by the elected president. Although the rival factions agree on electing Sleiman as a president to succeed Emile Lahoud, whose term ended in November, they disagree on power-sharing in a unity government. The opposition has previously insisted on holding more than a third of the cabinet portfolios. Parliament has failed to convene to elect a new president, exacerbating a crisis that began in November 2006 when six pro-Syrian ministers quit the cabinet of prime minister Fouad Siniora. The Qatari proposal suggested including a clause in the final statement of the Doha talks “providing security guarantees against the use of arms” in internal Lebanese disputes, the delegate said. The pro-government bloc had insisted on addressing the question of Hezbollah arms during the talks, but the opposition led by the Shia party, was against discussing the issue.
Lebanon’s rival factions agreed on Thursday to talk to try to resolve a protracted political impasse which erupted into deadly sectarian fighting and saw Hezbollah and its allies temporarily seize swathes of west Beirut. But after a virtual blackout on the progress of side talks taking place behind closed doors, several leading delegates made conflicting public statements. HH the Emir stepped in yesterday, meeting representatives of both sides, according to sources. They said Lebanese leaders had made progress towards ending their political crisis but disagreements over Hezbollah’s weapons remained a major hurdle to a deal. Delegates, however, said the differences were slowly narrowing over the two key issues on the agenda — a new election law and power-sharing in the government.