Middle East News

Mussa meets Syrian leaders, assures progress to end Lebanon crisis

Jan 19, 2008, 11:27 GMT

Damascus - Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa emerged from meetings with Syrian leaders Saturday to say more progress had been made towards ending Lebanon's political crisis. 'I can't say that we have reached an end to the political crisis in Lebanon, but we are on the way to reach a solution. I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic about it,' he told reporters after meeting with President Bashar Assad, Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and Vice President Farouq al-Share. Under discussion is a three-point Arab League plan calling for the election of army chief General Michel Suleiman as president, a national unity of government in which no one party has veto power, and the adoption of a new electoral law. Lebanon has been without a president since pro-Syrian head of state Emile Lahoud stepped down on November 23, with no elected successor. Mussa said negotiations with the Syrian side were 'positive and transparent'. He asserted that Syria was a part of the Arab initiative and not a mere witness, adding: 'Syria can provide additional support to end the political crisis in Lebanon.' Mussa denied that he had been supporting the Lebanese government majority more than the opposition during his last negotiations with rival Lebanese leaders in Beirut on Thursday. On his last visit to Lebanon, Mussa met with the head of the anti- Syrian ruling majority Saad Hariri and opposition Christian leader Michel Aoun. © 2008 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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Mussa meets Syrian leaders, assures progress to end Lebanon crisis

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