Local News
Tension rises at Lebanon crisis talks
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May 18, 2008 - 5:23:32 PM

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Tension mounted on Sunday's second day of talks between rival Lebanese leaders trying to end a feud that pushed their country towards all-out sectarian war, as politicians traded charges over the divisive issue of Hezbollah arms.

The Qatari hosts of the Arab-brokered talks on Saturday defused a clash over the weaponry of the powerful Syria- and Iran-backed Shiite militia by offering to come up with a proposal on the issue as the negotiators focused on other matters.

Lebanon's rival factions agreed on Thursday to talk to try to resolve a protracted political impasse which erupted into deadly sectarian fighting and saw Hezbollah and its allies temporarily seize swathes of west Beirut.

But after a virtual blackout on the progress of side talks taking place behind closed doors, several leading delegates made conflicting public statements, and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani stepped in on Sunday, meeting representatives of both sides.

The head of the Hezbollah delegation, MP Mohammed Raad, seemingly provoked the parliamentary majority by saying in televised remarks that "the issue of the resistance, its arms and capabilities is not up for discussion in Doha."

Pro-government delegates hit back.

"If the arms issue is not specifically addressed... then there will be nothing" achieved, Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Fatfat said.

"The issue of weapons is crucial. The Lebanese people will not accept anything less than the announcement of a clear framework to address this matter, so the debate can continue in Beirut," he told reporters.

Lebanon's former president Amin Gemayel, a leader of the pro-government group, warned against a deal similar to the 1969 Cairo agreement which gave the Palestine Liberation Organisation the right to launch operations from Lebanon against Israel.

"We are being very cautious on any position taken regarding Hezbollah weapons because there is a fear of having a new Cairo agreement," he told AFP.

But Druze MP Akram Shehaieb said the pro-government bloc wanted to tackle merely the weapons used "against the Lebanese people in Beirut and the mountains" in the recent clashes that killed 65 people.

"The weaponry of the resistance is a Lebanese issue which would be debated in a (subsequent) dialogue led by the president in Lebanon," he said, using a term that usually refers to Hezbollah's fight against Israel.

"They (Hezbollah) thought we were coming here to sign a capitulation document... It will not happen," Christian pro-government politician Michel Moawad told reporters.

Hezbollah was the only group that did not have to surrender its guns following the 1989 Saudi-brokered Taef agreement to end the 1975-1990 civil war, because it was fighting the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon.

However, Israel pulled its troops out of Lebanon in 2000.

Although no timeframe for the talks has been announced, Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa had said he expected Sunday to be "decisive."

The 14 political leaders in Qatar did not meet again after a first session on Saturday. Instead there was a meeting of a joint committee tasked with addressing an electoral law for a parliamentary poll due next year.

"We are trying to resolve differences," opposition MP and committee member Ali Hasan Khalil told reporters.

The factions differ on constituency boundaries, fearing they would lose parliamentary seats from demographic changes which would follow any alterations.

In addition to the electoral law, another committee was formed to discuss a proposed unity government, Lebanese pro-government newspaper An-Nahar reported.

Both sides agree on army chief Michel Sleiman to succeed Damascus protege Emile Lahoud, whose term ended in November, but they disagree on power-sharing in a unity government.

Parliament has failed to convene to elect a new president, exacerbating a crisis that began in November 2006 when six pro-Syrian ministers quit the cabinet of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

It is due to meet for the 20th time on June 10 to elect a president.

Siniora is attending the Doha dialogue, as are parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri and a key government ally, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is not there, reportedly due to security concerns, but other opposition leaders present include parliament speaker Nabih Berri and Christian leader Michel Aoun.