Saudi FM Urges Syria for Effective Role in Solving Lebanese Crisis

by **Admin** Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:58 am

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has said the kingdom was looking forward to an effective Syrian role in solving Lebanon's presidential crisis.

"The Arab League continues in its quick efforts to solve the presidential vacuum crisis," the Saudi FM said Thursday in an address to the Islamic summit in Dakar.

"We look forward to an effective Syrian role in securing Lebanese national understanding based on the Arab initiative," he said in his speech on the opening day of the 11th Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit .

Meanwhile, Syria's assistant foreign minister Faisal Miqdad denied that Damascus was trying to torpedo the Arab initiative which calls for the election of Lebanese Army Chief Gen. Michel Suleiman president, the formation of a national unity cabinet and the adoption of a new electoral law.

"All that has been said about a Syrian attempt to torpedo the Arab initiative over Lebanon at the Dakar summit is not true," Miqdad told An Nahar daily.

He was referring to attempts by the Syrian delegation to change a clause in the final statement of the summit.

The Syrian move on Wednesday delayed for one and a half hours evening sessions held ahead of the March 13-14 summit, but conferees adopted the version suggested by Yemen and okayed by Lebanon.

An Nahar also said Saudi and Iranian sources dismissed reports about a Saudi-Syrian-Iranian meeting that focused on the Lebanese crisis on the sidelines of the Dakar summit.