Lebanese official highlights importance of Arab role in resolving Lebanon crisis

Visiting Lebanese Culture Minister and Acting Foreign Minister Tareq Mitri Monday highlighted the importance of Arab role in resolving the Lebanon crisis, calling for more Arab and international support to Lebanese efforts to restore stability.

Mitri made the remarks after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh earlier in the morning, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

It is true that the Lebanese problem is an internal affair, but the Lebanese can benefit a lot from the support given to them by their Arab brothers, Mitri was quoted as saying.

While hailing President Mubarak's efforts to assist the Lebanese people to overcome their hardships, Mitri also stressed the importance of the role played by Saudi Arabia to help Lebanon resolve its crisis through dialogue.

The recent Saudi-Iranian summit on Lebanon's problem is expected to assist in facilitating Lebanon's national dialogue to reach an agreement ahead of the forthcoming Arab summit in Riyadh in late March, he added.

The Lebanese official also praised the Cairo-based Arab League (AL) for its strenuous efforts to settle the Lebanon crisis, noting that AL chief Amr Moussa was waiting for a suitable time to resume his mission to reconcile the Lebanese parties.

Mitri said that the Lebanese no longer want the country to be a battlefield for conflicting international powers, adding that the Lebanese still have a chance to make headway and resolve their political crisis.

Lebanon has been in deep political crisis as the Hezbollah-led opposition has been launching activities of protest in a bid to topple the current government of Prime Minister Fouad Seniora and form a national unity cabinet that would give them veto power.

Source: Xinhua