By Xinhua,
Beirut : Inter-Lebanese talks held in the Qatari capital of Doha make little progress until dawn Tuesday due to intransigence from both the opposition and the majority regarding government formation and election law.
The Hezbollah-led opposition said Monday after a meeting by its leaders in Doha that an agreement should be reached on the distribution of power within a national unity government and on the new election law prior to electing Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman president.
The opposition’s statement rejected the Qatari hosts’ compromise proposals calling for an immediate election of a new president by parliament and the formation of a unity government before the discussion of a proposed new election law.
Lebanese leaders from pro and anti-government camps held separate meetings Monday in order to come up with an official respond to the Qatari proposals.
Shortly after the opposition’s statement, the Lebanese ruling majority group rejected it, renewing its attachment to the Arab initiative.
Lebanese Sports and Youths Minister Ahmed Fatfat, who is from the majority bloc, accused the Hezbollah-led opposition of seeking to “block and finish off” the Doha dialogue, local Future TV reported.
Fatfat was quoted as saying in Doha that the statement adopted by representatives of the opposition is a breach of the agreement reached in Beirut and aims at “imposing conditions.”
Earlier on Monday, an expected news conference hosted by Arab mediators was postponed, and officials close to the talks said the delay was to give more time for negotiations.
Lebanese rival leaders have been in Doha since Saturday trying to reach an agreement on the national unity government and the election law in order to “crown” this agreement by electing the consensus president.
Doha talks are aimed at solving the long ongoing political crisis in the country, which turned violent between pro-government and opposition supporters about two weeks ago.
Lebanon is facing the most complicated political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, as political rival groups were unable to achieve a breakthrough to elect a new president for the country since Nov. 24 when ex-president Emile Lahoud ended his term.