Moussa-led AL delegation arrives in Lebanon

Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa arrived here on Tuesday heading an Arab delegation to look into means of solving the Lebanese standoff.

"We will begin communication with all sides immediately...we hope that we can make progress (in solving the standoff)," said Moussa upon arrival at Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut.

Lebanese political sources were quoted by local ANB TV as saying that the delegation would meet Tuesday with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Fouad Seniora and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt.

The sources added that the delegation would also meet on Wednesday with President Emile Lahoud and a number of senior officials.

Moussa said in a pre-departure statement released in Cairo that he was conveying a message on behalf of all Arabs to all Lebanese people, expressing hope that the visit could narrow the gap among the concerned Lebanese factions, according to local TV report.

Lebanese opposition alliance launched an open-ended sit-in in downtown Beirut from December last year to topple the Seniora's government, declaring the anti-Syrian cabinet illegitimate and demanding early parliamentary elections and a new electoral law.

The Seniora government, backed by the March 14 parliamentary majority coalition, had rejected such calls and accused the Hezbollah-led protest of trying to obstruct the creation of an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes.

Source: Xinhua