Italian foreign minister starts crucial talks in Lebanon

Nov 17, 2007, 14:19 GMT

Beirut - Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema met Lebanese leaders Saturday to try to convince Lebanese leaders to reach a consensus on a candidate for next week's presidential poll.

D'Alema, who arrived in Beirut at dawn, began a series of meetings with members of the Western-backed ruling coalition and the Syrian- backed opposition who have yet to reach a compromise ahead of a November 23 deadline to elect a new president.

He held talks with Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Foaud Seniora, parliament speaker and opposition leader Nabih Berri, and was also to meet Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir.

D'Alema's trip came as part of the international efforts to break the political deadlock which has been threatening the stability in the country.

During a visit to Beirut on Friday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned that Lebanon was passing a 'critical stage' and that its leaders should put their differences aside to elect a new president.

So far, Berri has cancelled three special parliament sessions to elect a president because a consensus was not reached. There were fears that the last-chance vote on November 21 could be cancelled.

The crisis is the country's worst since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war and there are fears the conflict will lead to two rival governments.

Despite the tension, political observers said cautious optimism had prevailed since Friday, when Sfeir drew up a list of candidates to the presidency, a post traditionally reserved for the Maronite community in Lebanon.

The cardinal submitted the list to Berri and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri.

'Berri has received the list and he is expected to discuss it with Saad Hariri so that they can agree on a consensus candidate either Saturday or Sunday,' a source close to Berri said Saturday.

The source stressed that Berri did not wish to disclose the number or names of candidates on the list. On Saturday, Beirut newspapers published lists varying from six to 12 potential candidates.

The lists included three declared candidates - Nassib Lahoud and Boutros Harb, both backed by the ruling majority, and Michel Aoun from the opposition.

Other candidates named by the media included Robert Ghanem, a lawyer and member of parliament, top banker Joseph Tarabay and former finance minister Damianos Kattar.

The Western-backed government has been paralysed since the opposition, led by Hezbollah, withdrew its six ministers from the cabinet in November last year.