Lebanese dialogue sessions opened Friday in Doha; discussions on crisis, solutions Saturday

Text reached by Arab ministerial committee in Lebanon

Hariri orders damage survey to compensate harmed people

Arab League mediators announced a deal to end Lebanon's worst internal fighting since the civil war, after the U.S.-supported government backed down in its conflict with Hezbollah.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani also summoned Lebanon's government and Hezbollah-led opposition to Qatar for talks to resolve a broader political showdown which has paralyzed the country for 18 months.

"We declare an agreement sponsored by the Arab League to deal with the Lebanese crisis," said Sheikh Hamad, who led the Arab mediators. "The parties pledge to refrain from returning to the use of weapons or violence to realize political gains."

The political talks in Qatar, which started, would continue "until agreement is reached," he said.

As Sheikh Hamad announced the deal, mechanical diggers on the airport road removed roadblocks erected by Hezbollah supporters as part of a protest campaign against the government.

"The opposition has decided to end the civil disobedience (campaign) and open all roads and routes to the seaport and airport," opposition member of parliament Ali Hassan Khalil said.

Less than an hour later an airliner from Lebanon's Middle East Airlines landed at the airport, the first commercial flight to the facility in a week. A roadblock at the main border crossing between Beirut and Damascus was also lifted.

The United States threw more diplomatic weight behind the Arab League Initiative at a time when Lebanese leaders start their dialogue in Doha.

"The United States supports the efforts of the Arab League to reach an agreement in Lebanon in accordance with the League's statement from May 11 that absolutely rejected the use of violence to achieve political goals," said State Department Spokesperson for Near East Affairs David Foley.

Arab League delegation reached a road map deal, where the Lebanese government cancelled its two decisions about the illegitimacy of Hezbollah communication network and removing airport security chief in return for removing all forms of violence and opening Beirut International Airport.

"We support the decision by the Lebanese government and we are confident of its ability to manage the affairs of the state," commented Foley on this Lebanese government decision.

"We understand that it was difficult situation for them and we are not second-guessing it," he added while praising the Lebanese government's "commitment to peace, dialogue and the integrity of the state's institutions" during the crisis.

The Doha round of dialogue will also stress that parties should not resort to violence for political aims and the need strengthen the state control over its territories.

"Keep in mind the United States fully supports UN Security Council resolutions 1559 and 1701 that requires the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon including Hezbollah so that the legitimate government and army of Lebanon will have a monopoly on the use of force," said Foley.

Asked how he assesses the role of Qatar in the Lebanese crisis, the US official said that various members of the Arab ministerial delegation to Beirut along with the Friends of Lebanon group "share the fundamental goal and principle that need to inform and guide any process of ending this political crisis in Lebanon." Yet, he declined to comment on whether the Arab League mission should consult with Syria and Iran to facilitate the compromise.

"I am not going to judge the activity of the Arab League on this," said Foley. The US official talked about a "serious malign influence that Iran and Syria have been playing in Lebanon" and noted that there is "consequences for this sort of behavior." "Everyone is looking very carefully now at what Syria, and most importantly Iran, is doing across the Middle East," added Foley.

On the agenda of Doha meetings, the election of Army Chief as president in addition to the national unity government and the electoral law.

"This effort is ongoing, let's see where the process goes, we are moving to Qatar, we want to see the results of the discussions there," said Foley.

The State Department spokesperson did not want to speculate on the possibility of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora staying in power or not in the coming period.

"Until a new president is chosen, we strongly support Prime Minister Siniora and his government," said Foley.

The US official brushed off the argument that Washington did not do enough to support March 14 Movement, noting that the US administration swiftly condemned Hezbollah's actions, supported Lebanese institutions, and stayed in contact with Arab and international allies.

"Not clear to me what sort of other actions and timeline people might be referring to," said Foley, while highlighting the decision of the US Administration to accelerate the delivery of military support. Almost USD 15 million dollar of US military assistance appropriated to Lebanon are still outstanding for this year in addition to USD 177 million uncommitted since 2007, and a portion of these pending assistances could start arriving soon to Beirut.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem made a telephone call with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani.

Al-Maollem, during the call, expressed Syria's support and appreciation for the efforts made by the Arab ministerial committee to reach an agreement among Lebanese parties, hoping the dialogue among Lebanese in Doha will reach to reconciliation on implementing the Arab initiative.

Al-Maollem also received a phone call from the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, during which they evaluated the efforts exerted by the Arab ministerial committee which were crowned by the agreement reached in Beirut.

A six-point plan was approved under the mediation of an Arab League delegation headed by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister.

Under the deal, the rivals undertook to launch a dialogue "to shore up the authority of the Lebanese state throughout the country", to refrain from using weapons to further political aims, and to remove fighters from the streets.

It also called for the rivals to refrain from using language that could incite violence, as well as the removal of roadblocks that have prevented access to Beirut airport and other parts of the country.

Parliament in Beirut is scheduled to convene on June 10 for its 20th attempt to elect a president.

Both sides agree on General Michel Suleiman, the army chief, as the new president, but they remain divided over the details of a proposed unity government and a new law for parliamentary elections due next year.

Doha dialogue would also lead to the end of a long-running opposition sit-in that has left the heart of downtown Beirut a virtual ghost town.

The latest developments coincide with a visit to the region by George Bush, the US president, who has accused Hezbollah and its Iranian and Syrian allies of setting out to destabilize the country.

Sheikh Hamad said the talks leading to the election of Suleiman would take no more than a few days. Asked what effect the strained relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia would have on implementing the agreement, Sheikh Hamad said that both Riyadh and Damascus were backing the Arab-brokered deal. The feuding factions reached the deal one day after the government reversed measures aimed at pressuring Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, Arab League chief Amr Moussa, speaking at the same news conference, said that May 15 represents an important step forward on the Lebanese political scene because of the success toward re-launching dialogue and a return to normal life.

Earlier, the delegation rounded up its meetings with different rival leaders by meeting Hezbollah's second-in-command, Sheikh Naim Qassem, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Qassem told reporters after the meeting that Hezbollah will “return things” to normal in Lebanon after the government reversed key decisions that had triggered days of bloody conflict.

The government’s reversal of the two decisions is a natural step to return things to the way they were before the two decisions,” Qassem said. “We want a political settlement that will lead, in the end, to there being no victor and no vanquished.” The Hezbollah official said the group’s arms will always be targeted at Israel, arguing that the internal strife that the group was involved in was triggered by government decisions that were aimed at harming the resistance and serving the interests of the US. “We hope that such mistakes will not be repeated in the future,” he said.

The Saudi reaction included word that officials would soon be conferring with US President George W. Bush, as part of his current regional tour, on the evolving situation in Lebanon. A Saudi official told Agence France Presse that Riyadh would brief Bush on its stance toward “the latest events in Lebanon and current Arab efforts to ward off [sectarian] strife and implement an Arab League plan to resolve the Lebanese crisis” through the election of a consensus president and a power-sharing deal.

Bush has blamed Iran and Syria for outbreak of violence that pitted Hezbollah and its allies against government forces. Syria said that the fighting was prompted by usurpation of power by the Siniora government, which is strongly supported by Washington.

Members of the Arab Ministerial Committee released a statement detailing the findings of their preliminary investigations into the current crisis from the Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel. Calling on Lebanese leaders to return with it to Doha for roundtable talks, the statement stressed on dialing back Lebanon to the May 5, 2008 status quo before entering into dialogue on the electoral law and the formation of a national-unity government.

The airport road and Beirut’s port have duly been opened and fighting has come to a halt in the capital and in the nearby Chouf Mountains. Sectarian fighting in recent days has killed upwards of 80, but life, in most respects, has returned to some state of normalcy, as Lebanese put their faith in their leaders’ capacity to dialogue.

“There must be agreement on returning to dialogue on the national-unity government and electoral law,” delegation head Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani read from the statement. “This agreement must culminate with the end of the downtown sit-in on the eve that Army Commander General Michel Sleiman is [officially] announced as a consensus candidate for presidency.”

The statement also called on leaders “to refrain from returning to arms or violence to achieve political ends” and “to end their use of political and sectarian incitement and accusations of treachery at once.”

MPs and party heads accepted the invitation to Doha, pledging to do all they can to facilitate the immediate implementation of the Arab initiative. Parliamentary-majority leader Saad Hariri said, “The committee’s final statement reiterated the importance of the Taif Agreement and the constitution, which are the basis of the state.”

Originally, the trip to Qatar was to involve three planes: one for March 14, another for March 8 and a third for journalists. A compromise, however, was reached in the morning and rival politicians agreed to share one plane.

On their way to Rafik Hariri International Airport, politicians passed by a peaceful demonstration of Lebanese holding signs reading, “If you don’t agree, don’t return,” reported the Voice of Lebanon radio station.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa promised that, “The commission is bringing antibiotics with it, not aspirin, in order to solve the crisis in Lebanon.” The pithy comment hinted at a recent statement by MP Michel Aoun, in which the FPM head noted that the crisis in Lebanon “requires an antibiotic” to be cured.

The Arab Ministerial Committee was formed in an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers at Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. The committee then spent in Doha, awaiting the opening of Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut before embarking to Lebanon.

The committee, which arrived after opposition protestors agreed to temporarily open the airport road for the delegation, was headed by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani and included foreign ministers from Algeria, Djibouti, Jordan, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Syrian, Saudi and Egyptian ambassadors also met the committee upon its arrival and have participated in the days’ talks.

Over the course of its brief visit, the committee met with nearly a score of Lebanon’s top politicians, including Aoun, Sleiman, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Hariri, PSP head Walid Jumblatt, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, former President Amin Gemayel, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Deputy Secretary General of Hezbollah Naim Qassem.

Several disputes between committee members over the course of their visit highlighted international components of the crisis. Syrian and Saudi representatives of the delegation exchanged fiery words with one another. Saudi Ambassador Ahmed al-Qattan, whose government backs Lebanon’s March 14 coalition, accused Syrian Ambassador Youssef al-Ahmed, whose government openly backs the opposition, of “undermining the size of the crisis, calling for the condemnation of the government and supporting the fighting and the deployment of armed groups in Beirut and other cities.”

March 14 delegates are expected to open the dialogue with questions on Hezbollah’s arms. “The points to be discussed in the dialogue have to do with the latest events. There are the points from the Arab initiative in addition to the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons and spreading state authority across all Lebanese soil,” said Amin Gemayel before boarding his plane to Doha. “We insist on discussing the relations between Hezbollah and the state, because what we have witnessed was a futile, tragic and suicidal adventure.

Foreign minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit received a phone call from Fouad El Siniora, Head of the Lebanese Government.

Abul-Gheit spokesman stated that the phone call tackled the latest developments in Lebanon in light of the clashes and the turmoil that broke out this morning and resulted in disrupting the traffic on the road leading to the international airport, in addition to gunshots and property burning.

EL Siniora defined to Abul-Gheit the stance of the Lebanese Government and its pursuits to maintain security and stability in the country, stated the spokesman. Abul-Gheit affirmed Egypt's supporting stance to the Lebanese government in assuming its pivotal role in this respect, being the constitutional institution responsible for running the country, which entails taking necessary measures to ensure the smooth operation of the state’s affairs and impede the erosion of its powers or credibility.

Abul-Gheit stated that Egypt aspires the end of confrontations as soon as possible in order to spare sectarian or ideological strife by any party, which all Lebanese and Arabs seek to avoid.

The minister also received a phone call from the Head of the Future Block Sheikh Saad El Hariri, which tackled the same issue. The Minister got detailed description of the tense situation on the ground, in light of the clashes witnessed by Lebanon on the 7th of May, which might lead -if they develop- to totally undesired consequences.

Abul-Gheit highlighted to Hariri the importance of exercising self restraint, indicating at the same time, Egypt's extreme keenness on the avoidance of any sectarian confrontations in Lebanon in light of its obvious risks to the critical situation in Lebanon and the region in general.

The Foreign Minister stressed that the party which calls for confrontations disregarding the civil peace in Lebanon, will undoubtedly bear the historical responsibility for its actions. The Spokesman stated that Abul-Gheit will pursue his contacts regarding this issue, and that he assigned the Egyptian ambassador in Beirut to intensify his contacts with all forces and figures, that can work towards containing the situation.

Saad Hariri issued a statement that he assigned engineering teams to “directly survey damages resulted from attacking Beirut to compensate the citizens.”

The Bush administration said it wants to speed up U.S. aid for Lebanon's Army because of the recent wave of sectarian fighting.

The administration plans to ask Congress to quickly approve military spending that was already in the works. State Department spokesman Tom Casey would not say how much money the administration is seeking. He also would not say what the money would buy, but previous military grants have gone to buy ammunition, armour and the like.

President Bush telegraphed the request in interviews ahead of his current Mideast trip. He said he wants to beef up the Lebanese Army, but he also expressed disappointment in the Army's recent performance.

The U.S. backs Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in a political and constitutional struggle with Hezbollah militants. The administration has spent about $1.3 billion in the past two years trying to prop up Siniora's Western-allied government, including about $400 million in military aid.