Sfeir describes Lebanon's political stalemate as 'lethal'

by **Admin** Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:35 am

Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir described on Sunday the continuing 15-month-old political standoff in Lebanon as "lethal."Sfeir, in his weekly sermon at Notre Dame Church in Bkirki, also described the split between the governing coalition and opposition as "unprecedented" and called for "unifying our ranks ... to help our stumbling nation rise again."

"This can be achieved only by tackling our problems with a sense of wisdom," Sfeir added.

The Maronite Bishops Council, headed by Sfeir, is expected to convene on Wednesday to discuss recent developments on the Lebanese political scene and in light of the Arab Summit held in Damascus.

Arab leaders meeting at the boycott-ridden Damascus summit Sunday urged Lebanon to elect a consensus president to solve a protracted political crisis, according to a draft resolution.

"Arab leaders stress their commitment to the Arab initiative to solve the Lebanese crisis, and call on Lebanese leaders to elect consensus candidate [commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces] General Michel Suleiman at the time agreed and decide on the basis for forming a national unity cabinet," according to the text.

Half the leaders of the 22-member Arab League have boycotted the Damascus summit, with most of them blaming Syria for the Lebanese crisis.

Lebanon has been without a president since November when Emile Lahoud quit at the end of his term amid a long-running deadlock between the Western-backed parliamentary majority and the Hizbullah-led opposition, backed by Syria and Iran.

The two rival factions agreed in principle to elect Suleiman as their next president but they have been feuding over the formation of a new government

A parliamentary session to elect a new president has been set for April 22, after being postponed 17 times.
The summit also re-endorsed an Arab initiative for peace with Israel first launched at a Beirut summit in 2002 and reactivated in Riyadh last year.