Top leaders from Lebanon’s parliament majority and the opposition met for the first time in three months Thursday as part of efforts by the head of the Arab League to end Lebanon’s 15-month-old political crisis. Majority leader Saad Hariri and opposition leader Michel Aoun met Thursday at the parliament building in downtown Beirut. They were joined by Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel. Hariri and Aoun held several meetings last year, including one in Paris in October. The opposition recently named Aoun as its representative in any meetings with the majority – a move that was rejected by the anti-syrian group for weeks.
The two leaders met in Parliament Thursday afternoon in the presence of Phalange Party president Amine Gemayel and Moussa himself. "I am optimistic. Holding the meeting is a success. There is still room for agreement, but there are some issues that need to be discussed extensively," Moussa said after the meeting which lasted for almost three hours. "We will meet again when I return from Damascus," he added. Moussa is expected in Damascus on Friday. The Arab chief league refused to discuss the details of the meeting, saying "the crisis will not be solved on newspaper pages," adding: "I will not speak in detail now. The crisis is very complicated and requires more discussions."
Asked about differences over interpreting the second item of the Arab initiative, Moussa said "the second item, relating to the formation of a unity government, is clear. It denies the opposition veto power, while denying the ruling coalition absolute majority in the Cabinet." Asked about his view on internationalizing the Lebanese crisis, Moussa said he preferred "solving the Lebanese crisis on the Arab level."
The three-point Arab plan adopted by Arab foreign ministers during a meeting in Cairo earlier this month calls for the election of the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) General Michel Suleiman as president, the formation of a national unity government, and the drafting of a new electoral law for the 2009 parliamentary elections. The ruling coalition and the opposition are at odds over the interpretation of the Arab plan, namely the item on the formation of a unity government. The plan said the government should be formed in such a way that prevents any party from imposing or blocking Cabinet decisions.