By NNN-KUNA,
Cairo : Arab foreign ministers were in agreement over the decision to contain the crisis in Lebanon because they are aware of the seriousness of the situation, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said.
Speaking at a joint conference with Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Yusuf after an urgent foreign ministers’ meeting here Sunday, Moussa said there was a common Arab desire to defuse tension in Lebanon, which is witnessing a fierce political crisis.
The foreign ministers, noted Moussa, has decided to form a committee consisting of foreign ministers of nine Arab countries. This committee, he said, would travel to Lebanon soon to meet with the conflicting parties in yet another bid to end the political tension.
The committee is chaired by Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al-Thani, and is made up of Moussa, and foreign ministers of Bahrain, the UAE, Jordan, Algeria, Djibouti, Oman, Morocco and Yemen.
The committee’s mandate is to discuss with Lebanese pro-government and opposition parties how to implement the Arab initiaive in Lebanon which calls for electing army commander General Michel Sulaiman as president, forming a government of national unity and wording a new elections law.
The committee’s meetings with Lebanese leaders, including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, may help tackle the state of insecurity in Lebanon and pave the way for the implementation of the Arab initiative, said Moussa.
“We are open for any addition to the Arab initiative” taking into consideration the current security developments in a drive to create a suitable political environment, said Moussa.
The committee members will also meet Lebanese army commanders to look into their logistic needs, he added.