Saudi Arabia welcomes Lebanese peace deal

Lebanese national dialogue in Qatar ends without 'losers'

Arab, international leaders welcome Doha agreement

Prime Minister Siniora says "essential step towards state sovereignty"

The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani announced a Lebanese peace deal in the Qatari capital Doha after several days of talks and negotiations.

He said the Lebanese peace deal was made possible because all the parties involved rose above their sentiments and proved their commitment to the Lebanese people.

Addressing the closing session of the six-day Lebanese National Dialogue yesterday, the Emir said, "Before you, before the Arabs and the entire world, it gives an honor to declare that this meeting in Doha has succeeded because all the parties have shouldered their responsibilities with courage, adopted stances which rose above sentiments, resorted to logic and conscience to emphasize the right and the future of the Lebanese people and to fulfill their pledge before the Ummah and history."

The Emir said Qatar, when it invited the various Lebanese groups to Doha for the dialogue, was confident about the success of the talks.

"We have worked together for days and continued efforts day and night, discussed at length and expanded the dialogue knowing there was only one solution in order to avert Lebanon falling into an abyss of strife and chaos and with that the dear country would get out of the bloody confrontation, headed to an arena of free accord among its people, and guarantee its freedom and future," said the Emir.

"At this moment I wish to express my gratitude to the Ummah and to all parties whose good intentions overcame sediments of their doubts and their hope tided over their fears," he added.

The Emir also expressed his gratitude to the Arab Ministerial Committee chaired by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, "which has taken the brunt of the tiresome burden of a difficult mission that was so hard to the extent of being irremediable."

"I wish to comfort the people of Lebanon who came out to tell their leaders on their departure for Doha, "do not return if you do not agree".... They have agreed and now they are on their way back to start together with their people a new day, which we hope will be serene and safe," said the Emir.

The Prime Minister of Qatar revealed Wednesday details of an agreement reached by Lebanon's rival powers to elect a president within 24 hours and form a national unity government after five days of talks in Doha. Lebanon's ruling coalition majority and the opposition powers put their differences away and agreed to convene parliament for the election of army chief, General Michel Suleiman, as president and form a national unity government, Qatar's Prime Minister Hamad bin- Jabir al-Than announced.

Under the agreement, rival powers have also agreed not to resort to the use of force and violence irrespective of their differences.

Lebanon's powers have also agreed to open a dialogue to strengthen the authority of the state and to restrict military and security powers in the hands of the state.

After the announcement of the agreement, Nabih Berri, speaker of the Lebanese parliament, said the opposition would end a sit-in, which it began staging months ago at the centre of Beirut.

Lebanon has been engulfed in its worst political crisis since 2006. The parliament has failed 19 times to convene and elect a new president since pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud ended his term in 2007.

The Lebanese delegates - three from the government and three from the Hezbollah-led opposition - have been meeting in Doha since last Friday in a bid to resolve the political impasse and to ease the tensions running high after bloody sectarian fighting claimed 82 lives two weeks ago.

Lebanon's feuding factions ended an 18-month political crisis after reaching a breakthrough deal that gives the militant Hezbollah and their allies veto power on any government decision.

US-backed Prime Minister Fouad Siniora described the deal as a "great achievement in ... the history of Lebanon" although analysts said it appeared grievances remained unresolved particularly over Hezbollah's military might.

"There are no losers," Lebanese Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh told The Associated Press, downplaying the concessions made to Hezbollah. "Lebanon is the winner."

The deal, brokered after five days of talks in Qatar, were a dramatic cap to Lebanon's worst internal fighting since the 1975-90 civil war. At least 67 people were killed when clashes broke between pro-government groups and the opposition in the streets Beirut and elsewhere earlier this month.

As Lebanon came close to a new all-out war, Arab League mediators intervened and got the sides to agree to hold last-ditch negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha, to resolve the crisis.

Syria endorsed the deal, with Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem saying: "Lebanon's security and stability are important and vital to Syria's security and stability."

Hezbollah's chief negotiator, Mohammed Raad, also downplayed Hezbollah's win.

"Neither side got all it demanded, but (the agreement) is a good balance between all parties' demands," he said.

As part of the deal, Hezbollah and its political allies would receive veto power in the country's new national unity government, Hamadeh said. Obtaining veto power was the key Hezbollah demand that triggered the 1 1/2-year-long crisis.

The opposition also will get 11 Cabinet seats under the deal. The parties aligned with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora will get 16 seats, and the remaining seats will be distributed by the incoming president, Hamadeh said. Previously, the opposition had six Cabinet seats.

The two sides agreed on an electoral law, which divides the Mediterranean country into smaller-sized political districts that will influence the outcome of the next parliamentary elections in 2009.

The deal also green-lights the election of consensus candidate army chief, Gen. Michel Suleiman, to be the country's new president. The parliament was to meet Sunday to elect him, the state-run National News Agency said, giving enough time for Arab and foreign delegations to travel to Beirut.

Both sides picked Suleiman to be Lebanon's next president after Emile Lahoud stepped down in November. But disagreements over other contentious issues — including the formation of the unity government and drafting the electoral law — stalled his election.

Hamadeh said the two sides reached the breakthrough at dawn Wednesday. Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani formally announced it during a ceremony in Doha, saying it would be "carried out immediately."

A few bursts of celebratory gunfire broke out in Beirut's after the announcement. Lebanese television stations showed Lebanese politicians and their Arab hosts congratulating and hugging one another.

Speaking at the Doha ceremony, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said opposition supporters would also dismantle their "tent city" protest. The opposition has been camped out for more than a year in downtown Beirut across from the prime minister's office.

Berri said this would be a "gift" from the opposition. Within an hour, pickup trucks began hauling mattresses and supplies away from the encampment, which has paralyzed the commercial heart of the Lebanese capital.

Siniora called on the Lebanese to reject violence and asked Arab states to help support Lebanon's army, which kept a neutral role during the latest clashes.

"We must ... pledge never to resort to arms to resolve our political differences," Siniora said, addressing the ceremony. "We should accept each other and hold dialogue to solve the problems. We want to live together and we will continue that. We have no other choice."

The Doha-based negotiations came after the Arab League mediated a deal to end the week of deadly violence that paralyzed parts of the country.

The Qatar negotiations hit snags from the very start, with neither side willing to give concessions.

The agreement was reached after host Qatar stepped up the pressure with Qatari Emir Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani personally intervening.

The political deadlock started when opposition lawmakers resigned from the U.S.-backed government in November 2006 to protest a Cabinet refusal to grant them enough seats to ensure veto power over policy decisions.

The Arab League (AL) hailed the Doha agreement to settle the Lebanese political crisis as a good example of joint Arab efforts.

The deal boosts hopes in the ability of the joint Arab action to solve problems of the Arab nation, Abdel-Alim al-Abiyadh, spokesman of the pan-Arab body chief, was quoted as saying.

The AL Secretary General's Office Director Hesham Youssef in Doha also highlighted the pact as a "historic achievement," noting that the Arabs have managed to bring the Lebanese issue back on track.

AL Secretary General Amr Moussa, who is in Doha for the talks on Lebanon, congratulated the two Lebanese teams for reaching an agreement that will guarantee a coexistence and peace in Lebanon, saying "this is a historic day."

Moussa also expressed appreciation for Qatari leaders for sponsoring the majority-opposition negotiations that helped in reaching the agreement on election of a new Lebanese president and the formation of a national unity government.

The AL chief asserted that reaching a deal that guarantees no party will lose was the only solution to the Lebanese crisis.

Lebanon's ruling coalition and the Hezbollah-led opposition agreed in the Doha talks to end the political conflict that has pushed the country to the brink of a civil war.

The agreement calls for electing a president immediately, forming a government based on a 16-11-3 formula (16 for the majority, 11 for the opposition and 3 to be chosen by the president) and adopting 1960 electoral law, said the report.

For his part, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has asserted Egypt's support for the Lebanese agreement, a spokesman of the ministry said.

The minister conducted several phone calls with the Lebanese leaders taking part in the Doha talks and praised the sense of responsibility by rival Lebanese leaders to end an 18-month political conflict that has brought the country to the brink of a new civil war.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohyeddin Khoja made a telephone call to Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri.

During the conversation, Khoja congratulated Berri on the agreement reached by the Lebanese leaders in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The ambassador to Lebanon, welcomed Doha Agreement between Lebanese rivals.

In a statement, the Saudi Ambassador was quoted as saying: "We are pleased of this agreement, and the leadership and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia do support that agreement and hope that it will be crowned with success".

He added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, one of the first to call for a meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers in Cairo where the Arab Ministerial Committee was established before transferring the inter-Lebanon dialogue to Doha, wishes Lebanon and Lebanese a return anew to civil peace.

The Ambassador hailed the attitude of the Gulf Cooperation Council leaders in their recently-concluded meeting in Dammam and their continued support for reaching an accord between the different parties in Lebanon.

The Ambassador also praised the wisdom of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Premier Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim Al Thani in managing the dialogue and bringing close the views of the parties.

He also valued the Lebanese leaders' attitudes, the majority and opposition alike, and their shouldering the immense responsibility during the dialogue sessions, and called on them for unification and communication to push forward Lebanon to a prosperous stage at all levels.

Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Atiyyah, the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, has described Doha agreement which was singed by the Lebanese rivals as a great historic achievement.

He congratulated Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, who is also President of the rotating Presidency of the GCC Supreme Council, the Lebanese people and the Arab world on the success of the Lebanese Dialogue conference, lauding the great effort exerted by the Qatari leadership, including the effective and crucial role played by Premier Sheikh Hamad bin Jasem bin Jabr Al Thani, Qatari Prime Minister and the members of the Arab Ministerial Committee for helping bringing close the views of the Lebanese factions.

He said this is an excellent success for the Arab and Gulf diplomacy in achieving reconciliation in the Arab region.

He confirmed that the GCC countries would continue to support the stability and progress of Lebanon.

Syria was among the first countries to welcome an agreement among Lebanese leaders to end 18 months of political conflict, saying that it hoped Parliament would elect a president. The Qatari News Agency announced that Syrian President Bashar Assad called Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to congratulate him on the agreement that was reached by the Lebanese leaders in Doha.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem had already expressed from Yemen his support for the agreement.

Under Arab League auspices, rival Lebanese leaders clinched a deal to end the political feud that exploded into deadly fighting on May 5 and nearly drove the country into a new civil war.

The agreement, announced in Doha, will see the election of a president for Lebanon within days and the creation of a unity government in which the Hezbollah-led opposition will have the power of veto.

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Lebanon, whose country backs the Beirut government, said that Riyadh supports the agreement reached between rival leaders in Qatar.

"Saudi Arabia announces its support for the agreement between the Lebanese in Doha. We are very happy that this accord has been reached," Abdulaziz Khoja, who is currently in Riyadh, told AFP.

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia backs the Cabinet of Premier Fouad Siniora, who also has the support of the United States and other Western powers.

The OIC Secretary General Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed in a statement his deep satisfaction over signing the agreement.

Iran, the main foreign supporter with Syria of the Lebanese opposition, also welcomed the deal.

"Iran welcomes and is pleased about the agreement reached by the Lebanese factions," the ISNA news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini as saying.

"Iran congratulates all the Lebanese groups, regional countries and the Arab League, and especially the Qatari government," he added.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran hopes that the Doha accord ... will provide a blossoming and brilliant future for the Lebanese and be the prelude to freeing the rest of Lebanese territory" from Israeli occupation, he added. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit, whose country backs the government, called for the deal to be faithfully implemented by all parties.

"The agreement ends a complicated crisis which could have destroyed Lebanon's stability had it not been for the wisdom of certain Lebanese politicians and the rapid Arab intervention," the official MENA news agency quoted him as saying.

"Egypt is particularly relieved ... about the agreement of all Lebanese groups to no longer resort to weapons to resolve conflicts or achieve political gains," Abu al-Gheit said.

Meanwhile, the United States welcomed the deal, but warned that the crisis in Beirut was not yet over.

"The United States welcomes the agreement reached by Lebanese leaders in Doha, Qatar," said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a statement, as she renewed support for the central government to extend its authority nationwide.

"We view this agreement as a positive step towards resolving the current crisis by electing a president, forming a new government, and addressing Lebanon's electoral law, consistent with the Arab League initiative," the statement said.

In Washington, US Deputy Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch said the deal represented a "necessary and positive step" toward restoring functional government in Lebanon. But he admitted the Lebanese still have "very delicate political" issues to resolve.

"This is not the end of this crisis. Lebanon still has to go through implementing this agreement," Welch said.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon hailed the landmark deal between Lebanon's feuding factions to end the political standoff and looks forward to the early election of a new president, his office said.

"The secretary general welcomes the important agreement reached in Doha among Lebanon's political leaders," the office said in a statement.

"He hopes this agreement will be the prelude to a lasting period of national reconciliation, political stability, peace and progress for all of Lebanon's people and for the future of their country," it added.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the deal brokered in Qatar as a "great success" and joined Germany and Spain in calling for its swift implementation. "France, which has invested much effort in the search for a solution to the Lebanese crisis, never stopped backing the process that led to this agreement," Sarkozy said.

"As a friend of Lebanon, in solidarity with all Lebanese, France stands more than ever by their side for the period that lies ahead. More than ever, it is committed to the unity, stability, sovereignty and independence of Lebanon."

Germany and Spain called for Suleiman's election as president to take place as soon as possible, followed swiftly by the formation of the unity government.

"Spain, which along with France and Italy, contributed to the mediation efforts, trusts that the Lebanese people will be able to take advantage of the opportunities opened up by this important agreement and by the peace prospects that are opening up in the Middle East," the Spanish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini welcomed the news and expressed his hope that the inter-Lebanese accord would be solidified through the immediate election of a president and the formation of a new cabinet.

"We now expect the universal, unreserved commitment of all parties to the implementation of the agreement through the immediate election of [Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces] Michel Suleiman, and the formation of a new government that will have the specific duty of ensuring order, security and national reconstruction," he said.