Lebanon to attend Annapolis meeting

Nov 24, 2007, 19:13 GMT

Beirut - Lebanon will attend the US-sponsored Middle East conference to be held in Annapolis next week, despite the political crisis engulfing the country.

Acting foreign minister Tarek Metri left for the US on Saturday to take part in the meeting, a Lebanese official said.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations grudgingly agreed Friday to attend next week's Mideast peace conference, despite failing to get any guarantee of Israeli concessions.

The meeting will include discussions on a 'comprehensive' Arab- Israel peace deal. But it is mainly intended to launch Israeli- Palestinian peace negotiations after a lull of seven years. Washington has pushed for a strong Arab presence to show support.

The Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah which is backed by Iran had called on the Lebanese government not to attend the parley as 'it serves the interest of Israel.'

Lebanese woke up Saturday to a country without a president, after rival leaders failed to agree on a consensus president on Friday, final day of the term of former pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud.

The crisis in Lebanon is widely seen as an extension of the regional confrontation pitting the United States against Iran and Lebanon's former powerbroker, Syria.

Progress in Annapolis was seen as possibly helping break the deadlock in Lebanon over the choice of a president.

Washington has been giving its full backing to the cabinet of premier Fouad Seniora, who is now running the country, while Tehran has warned that Lebanon is close to civil war.