Berri Insists on Govt. Statement that would 'Reassure Saudi'
Speaker Nabih Berri is insisting on “reassuring Saudi Arabia” in the statement that will be issued by the government next week as part of the new settlement between the political forces, a media report said.
“The drafting of the statement has made progress despite the regional escalation,” ministerial and parliamentary sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in remarks published Sunday.
President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Hizbullah are “exchanging ideas about the draft statement,” the sources added.
“Berri, who is in charge of communicating with Hizbullah, is insisting on a clear text that reflects keenness on non-interference in the affairs of Arab countries and that would also reassure Saudi Arabia,” the sources said.
The draft will then be discussed in “a cabinet session that Hariri will call for in the first half of next week.”
Political sources meanwhile told al-Hayat that “Saudi officials are not expecting a positive outcome and they still believe that President Michel Aoun is appeasing Hizbullah.”
Hariri had caused widespread perplexity on November 4 when he resigned during a TV broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing assassination threats and blasting the policies of Iran and Hizbullah in Lebanon and the region.
After a puzzling mini-odyssey that took him to France, Egypt and Cyprus, Hariri arrived back in Lebanon on November 21 and then announced that he was putting his decision to quit on hold ahead of negotiations.
But while Hariri and his Saudi backers seemed on a collision course with Hizbullah last month, an apparent behind-the-scenes deal now appears to be restoring the status quo.
The premier has called for dissociating Lebanon from the regional conflicts through ending Hizbullah’s involvement in them, revealing that “there is seriousness in the ongoing contacts and dialogues” and that the other parties seem to be inclined to accept his proposals.
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