Lebanese politicians gathered on Tuesday for the first session of a three-day national dialogue aimed at finding solutions to several deadlocks in the government.
As the session kicked off in Ain al-Tineh, Speaker Nabih Berri urged political rivals in Lebanon to agree on an all-inclusive solution starting from electing a president.
“The situation is serious, and we have to agree. Let’s agree on a Lebanese Doha starting from the presidency (issue),” Berri said referring to Doha agreement which was reached upon by Lebanese rivals in May 2008 in order to end the ongoing political crisis.
“It is a chance to reach consensus, that might be our last,” Berri was quoted by Lebanese media as saying.
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt was among the first to arrive to the dialogue session and the first to leave.
Jumblatt described the meeting as positive while speaking to reporters as he left Ain al-Tineh an hour into the session.
“There are some hurdles that we should thaw. But we agreed with Berri on the importance of resuming dialogue,” he was quoted by reporters as saying.
“Matters only require a little patience,” the Daily Star quoted Jumblatt as saying.
Berri has called for the August 2, 3 and 4 dialogue sessions in a bid to resolve several stalled issues in the country.
The speaker has proposed a package deal that involves holding parliamentary elections under a new electoral law before electing a new president and forming a new government.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.
Source: Websites
