International quartet committee discusses peace process in London; asks Israel to halt settlement building

Quartet insists on declaring Palestinian state before end of Bush's term

Prince Saud Alfaisal discusses peace progress with Abbas

Moussa warns of continuing presidential vacuum in Lebanon

Some Arab foreign ministers held a multilateral meeting in London with the foreign ministers and representatives of the International Quartet Committee on Middle East on the sidelines of the periodic meeting of the Quartet.

On the Arab side, the Saudi, Egyptian, United Arab Emirates and Jordanian foreign ministers, Prince Saud Alfaisal, Ahmad Abul-Gheit, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahayan, Salah Aldeen Albasheer, respectively and representatives of the foreign ministers of Kuwait and Tunis, participated in the meeting.

Also taking part in the meeting were U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov; UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Special Envoy of the Quartet Toni Blair; European Union's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitri Rupel, who is also EU's rotating President, and European Commissioner for External Relations Benita-Ferrero Waldner.

The meeting was attended by Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Ambassador to United Kingdom and Ireland.

In a key address, Prince Saud Al-Faisal described the Middle East as risky and depressing.

He emphasized that this fact was derived from the way with which Israel is tackling the Palestinian Israeli conflict.

The negotiations for finding a solution for this dispute have occupied a lot of time that extended for some 60 years and instead of simplifying this issue and drawing its map according to the United Nations resolution No. 181 which stated the legal establishment of a homeland for the Palestinian people side by side the State of Israel, many unnecessary and unrelated aspects were wedged into the dispute, particularly after 1967 war, Prince Saud said.

He said that the issue of the Israeli occupation of all Palestinian territories should be solved in accordance with the UN resolutions No. 242 and 338 which stated that occupying the lands of others by force is an unacceptable matter.

He explained that solving the dispute on the territories should be reached through negotiations or arbitration. He also pointed out that the point of dispute focuses on the interpretation of the UN resolution No. 242, namely whether the withdrawal from all the Palestinian territories or withdrawal from the lands occupied in 1967 war.

He cited three reasons he believes they are behind the negative developments of this dispute: First the insistence of Israel to cut Palestinian-populated lands at the expense of Jewish settlements. This led to the displacement of the indigenous residents and threatened the rest to face the same destiny. The second reason is attributed to the continuation of Israeli policy based on trying to achieve comprehensive security for Israel, leading to depriving the other party of the dispute from any kind of security.

The third is that the wide-range hostile feelings against Semitism in the west and the media reports about the Nazi holocaust against the Jews have, no doubt, led to deep sympathy with them in the west and the rest of the world, but has also contributed to giving Israel the green light to use whatever policies against the Palestinians and regardless of its practices, Israel was seen in the west as a peace-loving country.

Prince Saud went on to say that the Israeli Arab dispute has become an integral part of the local concerns for Europe and the United States of America, further complicating it and creating a wide-range argument and excuses for any Israeli act of illegal, even though outlawed or denouncement-deserving nature and keeping the world apart from logic and objectivity.

He expressed belief that all parties now conceive these facts and that they have to work accordingly. He confirmed he is not accusing any party of taking side but is requesting all of them to exert more effort to get out of this dilemma.

He pointed out that the Arab countries have spared no effort to encourage others towards entering into a real peace process, signaling the Arab Beirut summit adoption of the Arab Peace Initiative, offering Israel the complete security it was seeking. This will take place through naturalization based on a peace treaty that will be signed by Israel and all Arab countries in addition to Islamic countries who have also endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative, he said.

In this regard, we have to consider the proposals to be presented by the members of the Quartet to break the current impasse, Prince Saud said, adding that the serious and impartial endeavor to activate Annapolis pledges on the ground will enable us to eliminate most of the current obstacles and complications of the status quo.

The best way for guaranteeing security for Israel is, in our view, to set up a viable Palestinian state side by side of Israel according to the vision of President George W. Bush, Prince Saud said. This would create a new United Nations member committed to its international obligations and gives Israel a guarantee by the world's most powerful state: the United States of America and the United Nations, which first created Israel, to defend its security, he went on to say.

Prince Saud said among the reasons why the current Palestinian Israeli negotiations are difficult is that there are continuous attempts to strike a wedge among the Palestinian ranks rather than to unite them, as a unified Palestine is an asset to peace negotiations and an impetus for its success. The Palestinian united government, which came out of Makkah agreement, has transferred to a missed opportunity.

However, if the opportunity looms again, let us hope not to miss it, the Saudi foreign minister prayed.

He emphasized that there is dare need for dramatic change in the approach of the International Quartet Committee, calling for constructive proposals that help to proceed with the settlement process instead of remain content of speaking about the details of the dispute and putting impossible conditions.

He suggested that those proposals be based on the legitimacy and the international law and never be detracted of their mainstream. The achievement of peace and security is threatened with failure if it could not follow the fair application of the international law without any bias, he said, adding that, no doubt, individual practices or exceptions based on the status quo are not acceptable as regards the Israeli Arab conflict.

The Saudi Foreign Minister underscored the importance of striving the Quartet's decisions for the principles of neutrality, justice, elimination of settlements and barriers and stoppage of dividing of the Palestinian territories, and of putting the decisions reached under continuous follow-up, monitor and accountancy until the required progress is achieved.

During the meeting, the outcome of the periodic meeting of the International Quartet Committee and aspects and potentials of peace process were discussed.

Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit discussed with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni the progress of the peace process and Egyptian efforts to reach calm.

Minister Abul-Gheit said Egypt is seeking to reach calm between the Palestinians and Israelis. In statements on the sidelines of the Quartet meeting in London, he said that Egypt was moving to reach calm between Israel and the Palestinians.

He stressed the need for finding an economic climate that could enhance the underway efforts for shoring up negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Egypt cannot accept Israeli military operations in Gaza or in the West Bank, said Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit.

Abul-Gheit said that he told Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that handling the situation requires wisdom and self-restraint.

The top Egyptian diplomat was speaking shortly before leaving London after taking part in the Quartet conference.

Abul-Gheit said he discussed with Livni the ongoing negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis and their prospects.

Livni will participate in the upcoming World Economic Forum (WEF) scheduled for May 18-20 in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Abul-Gheit said.

Israel's top diplomat also discussed the proposal of a period of "quiet" with the Palestinians and the Egyptian vision to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, he added. The Israelis will decide after Minister Omar Suleiman's visit to Israel and his meetings with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said Abul-Gheit.

Asked whether the Quartet peace mediators could pressure Israel to lift restrictions imposed on the Palestinians, Abul-Gheit said the Egyptian vision, if accepted by Israel, would help lead to opening the crossings and lifting the siege.

Egypt's vision includes a period of "quiet", prisoners' swap including the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and halting Israeli raids in Gaza, he said.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad that Israel expects the PA to fulfill its security obligations after new Israeli measures to ease life in the West Bank.

"Many of these measures involve significant security risks for Israel," she said, according to the released remarks. "We expect the [Palestinian Authority] to live up to its obligations in order to ensure that these steps will not be exploited by terrorists and endanger further progress."

Israeli diplomats released the remarks, made by Livni in private meetings in London with Fayyad and other leaders earlier in the day, in response to Fayyad's charges that negotiations could collapse unless Israel halts settlement construction and fulfill its commitments set out in the road map peace plan.

The diplomats said Livni had told Fayyad that 60 road blocks, one major checkpoint, and other impediments to Palestinian freedom of movement had been removed, and that an additional 5,000 work permits have been granted to help Palestinians seeking work inside Israel.

But she said Israel needs assurances that the Palestinians will actively fight terrorism before it takes any further steps.

Fayyad had said that, "Israel has failed to meet any of its obligations from the road map, including a freeze in settlement activity," he said. "That is most troubling. Unless that changes, the political process is being stripped of its meaning."

Fayyad, who is in London for diplomatic talks, said Israel has not complied with any of the obligations set out at the U.S.-backed Annapolis peace conference in November.

The Palestinian prime minister gave a highly pessimistic progress report after meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. He said the Palestinian government had met its commitments by reforming its financial sector and praised the donor community for providing additional money desperately needed by the Palestinian authority.

There was confusion about whether Livni would attend the news conference where Fayyad spoke out against Israel. A paper placeholder bearing her name was put on the news conference table early in the afternoon but was removed 20 minutes before the conference started.

Fayyad said the Palestinian Authority needed roughly $1 billion to meet its obligations for the second half of this year.

But he said Israel had refused to take steps that would allow normal economic activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Fayyad's remarks came after the Middle East peace Quartet - the U.S., Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - urged Israel to cease all settlement activity in the West Bank and shift its strategy toward the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

The top diplomats from the Quartet members said they backed Egyptian efforts to broker an informal truce between Israel and Palestinian militants and to ease a crippling embargo of the coastal territory.

The stance by the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators increases pressure on Israel to ease its blockade, tightened last June after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement.

"Principals strongly encouraged Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt to work together to formulate a new approach on Gaza that would provide security to all Gazans, end all acts of terror [and] provide for the controlled and sustained opening of the Gaza crossings for humanitarian reasons and commercial flows," the international body said in a statement.

The Quartet also called on Israel to freeze continuing settlement construction in the West Bank to keep the peace process from collapsing. The Quartet added that Israel should cease all activity that could undermine confidence.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Quartet also believes Israel must dismantle all outposts put in place since March 2001.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said negotiators would keep pushing for a breakthrough at future meetings, "It's hard work, it's labor intensive, it's time consuming, but I do think there is a chance for an agreement," she said at a news conference after the meeting in London.

Rice said earlier that Israel and the Palestinians must agree "once and for all" on final borders between the two entities and settle the contentious matter of settlement expansion in the West Bank.

"Israeli and Palestinian negotiators should decide once and for all where to draw the line between Israeli and Palestinian territory, ending the argument over Jewish housing expansion on disputed ground," Rice told reporters en route to London for talks on Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Kosovo.

Rice also warned that the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank does not equal a fait accompli that the houses or towns would remain in Israeli hands under a final settlement of the six-decade conflict.

The settlement issue has seriously clouded the progress of peace talks that were inaugurated with high hopes by U.S. President George W. Bush more than six months ago. There has been little visible progress since, and Palestinians suspect Israel is increasing the pace of expansion in a deliberate land grab while closed-door negotiations continue.

"Ultimately the best answer is to determine what's going to be in Israel and what's going to be in Palestine," Rice said before meetings with negotiators and leaders on both sides in London and the Mideast.

"Determining final borders is the best thing we can possibly do," Rice said, suggesting she has heard Palestinian, Arab and other complaints that there is little momentum and less clarity in peace talks that are supposed to frame an independent Palestinian state before Bush leaves office.

While Rice said the opportunity for a two-state peace agreement may be shrinking because of the radicalization of young Palestinians, she said it was far too early to give up hope for striking a deal by the end of the year.

"I do believe that the window for the two-state solution will not be forever open and in fact I think you could argue that it has gotten narrower and narrower over time," she said.

But she added: "I think it is far too early to start [having] any sense of despair about the end of the year."

The United States is acting as proctor for the talks but has not offered its own solutions in public.

Rice's remarks also reflect the conclusion - accepted privately on all sides but rarely uttered - that some disputed Israeli-occupied areas would remain a part of a redrawn Israel. The Bush administration has as much as promised Israel it could keep some sensitive land, but Rice was effectively warning the close U.S. ally not to carry the policy too far or assume it has no consequences.

"I do not, and the U.S. government does not, accept that anything done prior to agreement can ... present a fait accompli or determine the final outcome of this," Rice said.

She did not single out any particular Israeli project as improper, but repeated the U.S. diplomatic criticism of housing expansion in general.

"It's not helpful," she said.

The West Bank abuts Israel and has been under varying degrees of Israeli military control for decades.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he does not want Israel to remain an occupying power, but Israel is reluctant to cede too much control lest militants take advantage and hurt or kill Israelis.

The West Bank would form the bulk of a future independent Palestine under a plan endorsed by the United States and much of the world.

Participants in the current talks say they are addressing difficult questions that have doomed previous peace efforts. Borders are among the hardest of those questions. The issue is particularly fraught in Jerusalem, holy to both Muslims and Jews.

"It's far too early to start any sense of despair about the end of the year," Rice said.

At the same time, she acknowledged that Palestinians are losing patience. The United States and moderates among both Israeli and Palestinians fear an explosion of violence and a political windfall for Hamas and other militant anti-Israel groups if negotiation yields nothing tangible.

"I do believe the window for the two-state solution is not open forever," Rice told reporters traveling with her.

"I think you could argue it's gotten narrower and narrower over time," she said.

As Mideast peace negotiations continue, nations must do their part by joining the United States to improve the daily lives of Palestinians and help them to build a future state, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“Countries that have resources and that have an interest in the establishment of a Palestinian state need to put those resources to use now in order to lay the groundwork for the establishment of that state,” Rice said en route to London. She joined fellow members of the Quartet for Middle East Peace -– the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- to assess progress since the November 2007 Annapolis Conference.

Israelis and Palestinians have been making quiet diplomatic progress confronting issues at the heart of a half-century of conflict, Rice said.

A Quartet statement read by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon cited progress despite continuing challenges posed by rocket attacks into Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and Palestinian concerns over continued Israeli settlement activity.

“This is hard work -- it’s labor-intensive and it’s time-consuming -- but I believe that they do have a chance to get an agreement by the end of the year. And that’s what we’re going to work for every day,” Rice said after the May 2 Quartet meeting in London.

The Quartet’s statement also called on donors to honor their financial pledges to the Palestinian Authority made at a December 2007 Paris donors’ conference.

The international community pledged $1.2 billion in budget assistance to the Palestinian Authority in 2008. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Algeria are the only Arab countries to have provided budgetary assistance, totaling $215 million, to the Palestinians since the December Paris donors' conference. The United States provided $150 million in budget assistance to the Palestinian Authority earlier in 2008 -- the largest sum of money the authority ever has received from a single country in one transfer. Facing an estimated $400 million-$600 million budget shortfall as early as this summer, the Palestinian Authority remains dependent on the world’s help.

This assistance will help Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad’s government implement key reforms and lay the foundation for a two-state solution by improving the authority's ability to govern, deliver essential public services and jump-start economic development in the Palestinian Territories.

“There are Palestinian security forces to be trained. There are Palestinian entrepreneurial funds that need to be developed,” said Rice. “States that have resources ought to be looking not for how little they can do, but how much they can do.”

In addition to its donors’ conference pledges, the United States provided more than $300 million in Palestinian aid during 2007, and already has provided more than $150 million so far for U.N. agencies supporting Palestinian communities across the region in 2008.

The Bush administration also is seeking an additional $200 million from Congress for further aid to the Palestinian Authority. (See “Bush Requests Nearly $7 Billion to Strengthen U.S. Diplomacy.”)

“It’s important for the Palestinian people to see improvements in their lives,” said Rice.

While in London, Rice held a joint discussion with Fayyad and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni before she traveled to Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

“These trilateral meetings are an opportunity to talk to the parties and to hear them talk to each other,” Rice said. “Very often when you hear them talk to each other, it’s perhaps possible to see where areas of convergence are emerging and to help them to see those areas of convergence if they can’t necessarily see them themselves.”

Rice also held separate meetings with U.N., EU and Russian leaders on Kosovo, as well as a session of the P5+1, in which leaders from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States agreed on a new package of incentives aimed at convincing Iran to suspend its controversial nuclear program and join international negotiations.

Prince Saud Alfaisal, the Foreign Minister, separately met in London with Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, the Special Envoy of International Quartet Committee on Middle East Tony Blair and Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan.

During the meetings, developments of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the recent Israeli escalation were discussed in view of the results of the periodic meeting of the International Quartet Committee held.

The meetings were attended by Prince Mohammad bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland.

On another hand, major Powers have agreed to make a new offer of incentives to Iran to halt its sensitive nuclear work and a European diplomat says helping Tehran develop civil atomic power remained at the heart of the proposal.

The offer, whose details have not been made public, is based on a package of economic and political benefits laid out by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany in June 2006 but so far spurned by Iran.

"I am glad to say that we have got agreement on an offer that will be made to the Government of Iran," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said, flanked by senior officials from China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

"We very much hope that they will recognize the seriousness and the sincerity with which we have approached this issue and that they will respond in a timely manner to the suggestions that we are making," he added.

The United States and other Western nations suspect Iran of using its civil nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran says its nuclear program is to generate electricity so that it can export more of its oil and gas.

The incentives offered to Iran in 2006 included civil nuclear cooperation and wider trade in civil aircraft, energy, high technology and agriculture, if Tehran suspended uranium enrichment and negotiated with the six.

Uranium enrichment can be used to produce fuel for nuclear reactors or for atomic bombs.

The 2006 proposal included recognition of Iran's right to develop civil nuclear energy, a promise to support the building of new, proliferation-resistant light water reactors and guarantees that Iran would have access to fuel.

Russia has been the main country to promote the idea of refreshing the June 2006 offer while the United States has made no secret of its skepticism, with US officials saying they saw little reason to expect Iran to change course.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon says attacking Iran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons was not an option.

"We have to do everything we can to avoid finding ourselves faced with the only solution of bombing Iran," he said.

"The only option is to pressure the Iranian government through diplomatic means, economic means, and financial means."

A senior US official says the fine print of the new offer, which he described as "updated," was still being worked out but was likely to be finalized within a week.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization and President of the Palestinian National Authority, discussed the latest developments of the Palestinian issue, particularly the peace process in the region.

On his part, President Abbas briefed the monarch at the meeting held at the King's ranch in Al-Janadriya on the outskirts of the city of Riyadh on the outcome of his recent official visits to the United States and the Federal Republic of Russia.

They also discussed the international efforts being exerted to achieve a fair and comprehensive peace that guarantees the right of the Palestinian people in self-determination and the establishment of an independent state.

On the Saudi side, the meeting was attended by Prince Mit'eb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of the General Intelligence and Dr. Nizar bin Obeid Madani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

On the Palestinian side, the meeting was attended by former Prime Minister Ahmed Gurai; Advisor to the President and official spokesman Nabeel Abu Rudianah; and Jamal Al-Shobaky, Palestinian ambassador to the Kingdom.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received at his ranch in Al-Janadriya on the outskirts of the city of Riyadh Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization and President of the Palestinian National Authority, and the accompanying delegation.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques then gave a dinner party in honor of the Palestinian President and the accompanying delegation.

The reception and the dinner party were attended by Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, President of AGFUND; Prince Badr bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Commander of the National Guard; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of the General Intelligence, other princes and a number of officials.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz received at his ranch in Al Janadriya Robert Zoellick, President of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the accompanying delegation.

The audience was attended by Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, President of the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND); Prince Badr bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Commander of the National Guard; Prince Meqrin bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; and a number of officials.

Afterwards, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz held a meeting with Robert Zoellick, President of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).

During the meeting, President of the IBRD highlighted the various activities of the bank to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

President of the IBRD also expressed appreciation of the development plans witnessed by the Kingdom in various fields under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques asserted the importance of contribution of the IBRD effectively in developing the Arab countries and confirmed the necessity of the agricultural growth in the developing countries.

The meeting was attended by Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, President of (AGFUND), Prince Badr bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Commander of the National Guard, Prince Meqrin bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; and a number of officials.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's surprise two-hour visit to Amman for talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II reflects an Israeli interest in keeping the monarch "in the loop" regarding negotiations with the Palestinians, government officials said.

It was no coincidence that Olmert flew to Jordan - the second time he has done so under a veil of secrecy this year - on the day that Hamas and Egypt seemed to conclude a cease-fire deal in Gaza, one official said.

"Olmert wanted to bear some good news," the official said, noting that Jerusalem's terse statement on the Egypt-Hamas deal indicated Israel would accept the deal, although it was unlikely to say so formally.

Abdullah is reportedly concerned about the ongoing crisis in Gaza, and fearful that the instability there could lead to a Hamas takeover of the West Bank, which would have negative implications for Jordan.

The Arab press reported that Abdullah had pressed US President George W. Bush during their meeting in Washington not to come to Israel in mid-May because of the lack of progress in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

The Prime Minister's Office, in a laconic statement issued after the meeting, said the two leaders - who held a working session over lunch - discussed "the diplomatic process and ways to move forward the goals set out in the Annapolis Conference."

Jordan's Petra news agency, basing itself on a statement from the Jordanian Royal Palace, said the king stressed "the need for negotiations to lead to an agreement based on the two-state solution before the end of this year, as per commitments made by the parties at the Annapolis Conference in November 2007."

Abdullah said the deal should "address all final-status issues and result in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," Petra reported.

"Olmert briefed King Abdullah on the negotiations and expressed appreciation for the king's efforts to ensure progress and achieve peace between the Palestinians and Israel," again according to the Jordanian news agency.

Jordan, according to sources in Jerusalem, can play an important role in supporting "positive developments in the process of Palestinian nation building" and in helping to strengthen Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

According to these sources, Olmert periodically meets with Abdullah because Israel "takes the relationship with Jordan very seriously" and sees Jordan as an integral element in the country's overall national security doctrine.

Olmert last met with Abdullah in January, when he flew secretly to his palace in Aqaba. That visit, like this one, took place days before a Bush visit.

Arab League chief Amr Moussa left Lebanon after his fifth mission, just like his first mission ended in failure to resolve the Lebanese crises.

As he was leaving he told reporters at the Beirut airport: "The time has come to resume dialogue amongst the Lebanese leaders within a time frame that leads to the election of a president."

As in his past missions he also said" The talks I held in Beirut were encouraging."

Moussa stressed that electing a president is "vital for the stability of Lebanon and for the entire region."

Moussa tried to arrange for a bilateral meeting between parliament majority leader Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss the presidential elections scheduled for May 13 but failed. Reports circulated in Beirut that Berri was unable to commit to the meeting because of pressure from Hezbollah, Syria and General Michel Aoun

Moussa denied reports that Syria turned down his request to visit Damascus because Saudi Arabia has not facilitated a visit to Riyadh for Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Moussa called these reports” Fabrications by the Lebanese media"

Moussa said during his address to the Arab Economic Forum in Beirut that continued presidential void in Lebanon is dangerous.

Moussa said he has "tried his best to resolve the Lebanese crises which is not insurmountable” adding " Despite the international and regional circumstances , this does not exempt the Lebanese leaders from their responsibilities to do all they can to resolve the impasse."

Moussa said all the "Lebanese leaders need to do is implement the Arab initiative by immediately electing a president. This action is to be followed with the creation of a national unity government."