Hariri vows March 14 camp “will remain united
Future Movement leader Saad Hariri said on Sunday that he was open to reconciliation but not if it meant weakening the March 14 camp. "The doors of Qoraytem are always open for reconciliation and closed in the face of sedition," he said during an iftar banquet at his residence in Beirut. "But any such reconciliation would not be at the expense of our alliance with the different parties constituting the March 14 Forces … The March 14 alliance will remain united," he added, hinting at a possible visit by a Hizbullah delegation to Qoraytem.
Weekend news reports said that such a delegation would be headed by MP Mohammad Raad and pave the way for a future meeting between Hariri and Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Talk of a Hizbullah-Future reconciliation was triggered by similar efforts by representatives from Hizbullah and the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) of MP Walid Jumblatt.
The Future leader also said that Lebanon should cease to be an arena for foreign conflicts.
"We will not allow any party to take Lebanon as hostage and exploit our country in foreign conflicts," he added.
Hariri also praised Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and described his apologizing to the Lebanese people for "mistakes" during the 1975-1990 Civil War as a "brave" move. Geagea made his apology earlier on Sunday at a ceremony for LF members killed in political violence.
Also on Sunday, President Michel Sleiman departed for New York to participate in the United Nations General Assembly. Sleiman will meet upon his arrival with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other officials, the National News Agency reported on Sunday.
He will address the General Assembly on Tuesday before leaving for Washington to meet US President George W. Bush at the White House.
Sleiman”s visit to the United States is expected to be followed by visits to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran before he returns to Beirut to chair the second round of Lebanon”s national dialogue. The second round of talks is scheduled for November 5. The first round was held on September 16 at the Presidential Palace and grouped together the 14 Lebanese politicians who signed the Doha Accord last May.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, who helped Qatari leaders broker the Doha pact, was also a guest at last week”s talks.
Jumblatt said on Sunday that the main challenge facing the Lebanese people was their ability to coexist peacefully.
"The past years were full of challenges and we stood up for all the challenges, but the main challenge today is for us to coexist peacefully with our fellow Lebanese," he said.
"Our youth were destined to stay away from each other during the past years as a result of political tensions … We should work on encouraging Lebanese youth from different sects to cooperate with one another," he added.