Qatar offers Lebanon proposal
19/05/2008| IslamWeb
Qatar has proposed the formation of a unity government to diffuse the current crisis in Lebanon following two days of talks in Doha, the capital of the gas and oil-rich Arab state.
The proposal early on Monday came after two days of talks between Lebanon's 14 feuding factions appeared to yield no breakthroughs on the country's 18-month crisis.
Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar's emir, stepped into the negotiations on Sunday and brought together the leaders of Lebanon's opposition with pro-government factions in one meeting after talking to each side separately.
Al Jazeera's Rula Amin said: "The Qataris are trying to come up with some creative solutions to overcome the differences between the two sides, but will have to wait to see if these new ideas will satisfy both sides."
The Doha talks focused on the makeup of a new government and a new electoral law.
'Much at stake'
Amin said: "The main stumbling block is the electoral law, especially how to deal with the elections in Beirut ... both sides have a lot at stake."
Due to the potential affect on a future election in Lebanon, reorganizing the districts of the capital has proven divisive.
Arab mediators say there is no timeframe for the talks. Sunday had previously been expected to be a decisive day.
The talks were brokered to end days of street battles across Lebanon between pro- and anti-government armed groups that left at least 81 people dead.
Samir Geagea, the leader of pro-government group the Executive Body of Lebanese Forces, said that he feared the Lebanese dialogue in Doha would "not lead to the required result".
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Geagea said that the reason behind his fear was the refusal of some parties to discuss key issues including "the use of violence in political life in Lebanon".
Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, left, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani, center and Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa, look on, before the start of the talks on Lebanon in Doha, Saturday, May 17, 2008.
Al-Jazeera