Lebanon resumes national dialogue, no consensus reached

Lebanese leaders resumed a national dialogue on Tuesday over the fate of the country's pro-Syrian president and other issues, but failed to reach any agreement.

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri told reporters that participants did not reach an agreement on whether President Emile Lahoud should be removed from power, so they moved on to the remaining item on the table-- the strategic defense policy, which centers around Hizbollah's disarmament.

Berri said that the next round of talks would take place on June 8 "because some leaders have planned trips abroad and there are some holidays."

Fourteen politicians, pro- and anti-Syrian, Christian and Muslim, have been trying since March 2 to resolve crucial issues facing Lebanon since Syrian forces withdrew from its territory last April.

The politicians have agreed on the establishment of an international court to judge those responsible for the killing of Lebanese ex-premier Rafik al-Hariri and the dismantlement of Palestinian militant bases in Lebanon.

They have also decided to work on normalizing relations with Syria and define borders between the two countries.

Source: Xinhua