Text Version
RSS Feeds
Newsletter
Home Forum Photos Features Newsletter Archive Employment
About US Help Site Map
SEARCH   About US FAQ Site Map Site News
  SERVICES
  -Text Version
  -RSS Feeds
  -Newsletter
  -News Archive
  -Give us feedback
  -Voices of Readers
  -Online community
  -China Biz info
  What's new
 -
 -
Arab mediators say rival Lebanese agree on refraining from using weapons
+ -
09:04, May 16, 2008

 Related News
 U.S. promises support for Lebanese gov't
 Lebanese speaker blames majority leader for preaching "Sunni-Shiite discord"
 Lebanese army to use force against armed presence
 Lebanese presidential election postponed again amid violence
 Arab FMs meet on Lebanese crisis
 Comment  Tell A Friend
 Print Format  Save Article
The rival Lebanese blocs have agreed on refraining from using weapons in solving domestic issues, an Arab ministerial delegation said here Thursday.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani, head of the delegation, announced in a press conference that the agreement deal was reached between Lebanese rival leaders.

He added that all the Lebanese parties will attend an internal dialogue scheduled in Doha on Friday and would stay until an agreement is reached.

Sheikh Hamad read the details of the agreement which started with the "return of the situation to the way it was before last week confrontation."

The agreement called for ending armed appearances, pulling gunmen from the streets and reopening all roads and the international airport, said Sheikh Hamad, stressing that the Lebanese army will be responsible for the security in the country.

The dialogue in Doha would focus on the national unity government, the new election law, said Sheikh Hamad, adding that the tent sit-in at downtown will be removed on the eve of electing the consensus president Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman.

The Arab ministerial delegation, which arrived in Beirut on Wednesday, met members of the government and the Hezbollah-led opposition who have been locked in a bitter political feud for 18months.

The delegation came after Lebanon's political crisis boiled to deadly clashes between pro and anti-government supporters, which left at least 72 people dead and about 200 others injured.

The clashes broke out last Wednesday after the Lebanese cabinet decided to cease the private communication network of Hezbollah, and remove airport security chief Gen. Wafik Shqaier for alleged links to Hezbollah.

But a statement released on Wednesday said the Lebanese government decided to cancel the two measures "in order to preserve national peace and stop the blood shed, and the sectarian discord."

Lebanon is facing the most complicated political crisis since1975-1990 civil war. Lebanese political rival groups were unable to achieve a breakthrough to elect a new president for the country since Nov. 24 last year when ex-president Emile Lahoud ended his term.

Lebanese leaders agreed on Suleiman as a candidate, but could not agree on the shape of the new government and the new election law.

Source:Xinhua



  Your Message:   Most Commented:
Miley Cyrus' sexy photos cause controversy
FM: China strongly denounces CNN host's insulting words
Oversea readers:China must ban CNN
Chinese netizens: "CNN-like" media should be prohibited in China
Why some Western media wage 'asymmetric warfare' on China

|About Peopledaily.com.cn | Advertise on site | Contact us | Site map | Job offer|
Copyright by People's Daily Online, All Rights Reserved

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6412005.pdf