Suleiman Sets the Rule: Reconciliation-Dialogue
President Michel Suleiman on Wednesday set the rule for national dialogue, saying it should follow reconciliation.
Suleiman told visitors at the Baabda Palace "no dialogue without reconciliation and no reconciliation without dialogue."
The rule set by Suleiman apparently aims at cornering both the March 14 majority and the Hizbullah-led March 8 minority into accepting his two basic conditions: Reconciliation and dialogue.
March 14 has been urging the president to re-launch the Conference on National Dialogue in line with the Doha Accord.
March 8 insists on reconciliation with its foes, basically Saad Hariri”s Mustaqbal Movement, to patch up differences after the May attacks on West Beirut.
"National unity is the base," Suleiman stressed, in an apparent indication that national dialogue is not feasible if not preceded by reconciliation and reconciliation would not be productive if not followed by national dialogue.
Suleiman, commenting on calls by Hizbullah and its allies to add more participants to national dialogue sessions, said it is up to members of the previous dialogue conference to agree on this topic.
The president said he would visit the United States in mid September for talks with his U.S. counterpart George Bush.