Italy hopes Moussa's efforts will 'bear fruit'

by **Admin** Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:50 am

Cabinet to decide on March 25 whether to attend or boycott Arab league summit

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema on Wednesday praised Arab League chief Amr Moussa's efforts to find a solution to the political crisis in Lebanon and renewed his full support for the three-point Arab initiative.

D'Alema said he hoped the initiative would "eventually bear fruit," but added that the involvement of neighboring countries had negatively influenced Lebanon's crisis.

The minister said that the European Union has done its best to encourage a solution to the crisis in Lebanon. "We have made great efforts in Lebanon, but we cannot pass certain limits and interfere in the country's affairs," he said.

D'Alema also stressed the need for Arab states to discuss Lebanon's crisis at the upcoming Arab summit in Damascus later this month.

Meanwhile, Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc on Wednesday accused the governing coalition of obstructing the implementation of the Arab initiative. The bloc also said that the upcoming summit in Damascus will represent a chance to improve inter-Arab relations.

"The summit is likely to bridge the gap between Arabs and this is why the United States is trying its best to spoil it," the bloc said in a statement.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit said on Wednesday that he hoped the upcoming summit would help end Lebanon's political crisis.

After meeting Lebanon's Sunni Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani in Cairo, Abu al-Gheit urged Lebanese parties to overcome their differences in order to reach a settlement.

On the eve of a visit to Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said late Tuesday that the Damascus summit, scheduled for March 29-30, would be extremely important for the success of peace in the Middle East.
Lavrov accused foreign parties of blocking solutions in both Lebanon and Palestine.

"We will discuss with our Syrian friends the possible measures that Syria could take to help resolve the crisis in Lebanon," Lavrov told the Russian daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Tuesday that he was concerned about preserving Lebanon's independence and unity, adding that he hoped the upcoming Arab summit would contribute to resolving the country's protracted political crisis.

"The persisting crisis in Lebanon is reflecting negatively on the country's sovereignty, independence and unity," he said during an official visit to Algeria.

The Lebanese Cabinet is set to decide after March 25 on whether to attend the Damascus summit, State Minister for Administrative Affairs Jean Ogassapian told Future News television late Tuesday. He added that the Cabinet is currently leaning toward boycotting the summit.
But well-informed sources told The Daily Star earlier that the government is still considering the option of sending low-level representation.

The Lebanese newspaper As-Safir on Wednesday said the government had already decided to boycott the summit, but that foreign parties interfered and urged it to send a representative with the aim of challenging the Syrian regime and attacking Damascus' role in Lebanon.

Sources close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri quoted him as saying that Premier Fouad Siniora and Finance Minister Jihad Azour should represent Lebanon at the summit.

Berri's visitors on Tuesday said that the speaker told a delegation of Arab lawmakers that Arab reconciliation is the key to ending Lebanon's crisis.

Berri also confirmed to his visitors that he had urged Egyptian lawmaker Mustafa al-Fiqi, the deputy head of Arab Parliament, to ask Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to mediate between Syria and Saudi Arabia.

In a separate development, Lebanese Forces boss Samir Geagea said on Wednesday that Lebanon is the gateway for democracy in the Middle East.

"We cannot speak about promoting democracy and freedom in the region without focusing on Lebanon," he told members of the Lebanese community in New York. "Freedom in Lebanon is already irreversible."

Also on Wednesday, March 14 forces lawmakers Mustafa Alloush, Antoine Zahra and Henry Helou handed Siniora a petition asking the Arab League to inquire about the fate of Lebanese detainees in Syrian jails.

"After repeatedly saying that it had no more Lebanese prisoners in its jails, Syria has recently released a Lebanese detainee," Alloush told reporters at the Grand Serail.

"The recent move proves that Syria was not honest on this issue. Therefore, it is the Arab League's duty to inquire about the fate of the remaining detainees," he added.

Asked about Future Movement's position on attending the Damascus summit, Alloush said that the movement favored boycotting the summit.

Earlier on Wednesday, Siniora said that the Lebanese have no choice but to reach agreement in order to save the country. "We should be realistic ... this country is for everybody ... there will be no victor ...we all share the same fate,"