Jumblatt in Moscow for talks over Lebanon crises
Democratic Gathering leader MP Walid Jumblatt , a leading member of the parliament majority , arrived in Moscow on Sunday for consultations with Russian leaders on the situation in Lebanon.
He is expected to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov next week, Itar-Tass learnt from a diplomatic source in Moscow.
Lebanon lives in a state of the protracted political crisis, caused by the struggle for power between the ruling quarters and the opposition alliance. This struggle is accompanied by terrorist acts.
As a result of a terror act in the Christian district of Beirut on Saturday, 11 people were killed and 60 wounded.
The blast was spearheaded against a group of officers of the Lebanese Security Service. The officers were engaged in investigation of terror acts, committed in Lebanon after the assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri in February 2005.
Last December, an attempt on the life of General Francois al-Hajj who intended to take the post of the army commander instead of Michel Suleiman, nominated for the Lebanese presidency, was committed in Baabda, situated close to the above district.
According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov, Russia advocates “an accord between Lebanese people without outside interference and the earliest election of General Michel Suleiman to the president’s post.”
The deputy minister noted in an interview with Itar-Tass that serious differences persist between the political sides on such a problem as formation of a national unity government.
“We hope that the knot of problems will be unravelled thanks to efforts of the Arab League,” Saltanov emphasized. “Russia backs the Arab initiative and seeks, using all its possibilities, to promote the mission of Arab League secretary-General Amr Moussa.”
Saad Hariri, leader of the Lebanese Al Mustakbal movement, was in Moscow last November. His meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lavrov also dealt with the situation in Lebanon.