Moussa briefs Saudi king on Lebanon
18/12/2006| IslamWeb
Amr Moussa, the Arab League secretary-general, called on Saudi Arabia's king to intervene to help Lebanon's deepening political crisis, officials said.
Moussa visited Riyadh on Sunday to hold talks with Saudi officials including King Abdullah.
Al Jazeera quoted Moussa as saying that he would return to Beirut on Tuesday to resume mediation.
Moussa recently visited Lebanon, where there was progress in his efforts to bring rival leaders closer to reaching an agreement on defusing political and sectarian tensions.
A Saudi official said Moussa asked Abdullah to assist in solving the crisis by "intensifying the ways to seek a solution".
On Sunday, Al Jazeera reported quoting a diplomat accompanying Moussa as saying that Abdullah discussed with him the outcome of his talks with different Lebanese parties, expressed support for these efforts and wished Moussa success in his mission.
Mass protests
The latest crisis erupted in Lebanon when the Hezbollah-led opposition ordered thousands of supporters earlier this month to stage mass protests and ongoing daily sit-ins, forcing Fouad Siniora, the prime minister, to live in his office complex in central Beirut, surrounded by security forces and barbed wire.
Moussa last week managed to get the two Lebanese sides to agree on the outlines of a national unity cabinet, but the rival factions failed to bridge other differences that threaten to scuttle the deal.
The Arab League chief has called on all the Lebanese parties to defuse the tension and expressed hope that the remaining unsolved issues could be resolved in the next two weeks.
Hezbollah is pushing for more power in a new Lebanese cabinet partly to avoid being disarmed by any future government. However, Siniora and his anti-Syrian supporters have rejected Hezbollah's demands, calling the campaign a Syria-backed coup.
PHOTO CAPTION
Arab League Chief Amr Moussa speaks during a news conference at the government headquarters in central Beirut, December 14, 2006. (REUTERS)