Arab League to Meet Sunday as Several Stumbling Blocks Threaten Elections

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa has set next Sunday as the date for a meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss the thorny issue of Lebanon”s presidential election after mediation efforts reached a dead-end.

 

An Nahar newspaper said the January 6 summit in the Egyptian capital will be preceded by a consultative meeting at the League”s headquarters on Saturday.

 

It quoted Arab diplomatic sources as saying the Cairo meeting will discuss the Lebanese Presidential vacuum at the request of Saudi Arabia and Egypt after dialogue between Speaker Nabih Berri and MP Saad Hariri to find a way out of the crisis came to an abrupt end.

 

The sources also cited other reasons behind Moussa”s invitation including French President Nicolas Sarkozy”s announcement of an end to Paris” mediation because of lack of Syrian cooperation and diplomatic and intelligence reports that “some parties” could create “chaos” in the country.

 

The sources said the Arab League will urge “for a facilitation of holding presidential elections” as soon as possible “without any regional or international interference and with no conditions” set prior to the elections.

 

The Lebanese opposition is demanding an agreement over the next cabinet before electing a new head of state.

But the pro-government March 14 forces say it”s up to the president to decide on the make up of the new administration.

 

An Nahar said Moussa will dispatch his assistant Hisham Youssef to Beirut on Tuesday or Wednesday to set the stage for the meeting.