Berri Urges Dialogue, Rejects Cabinet’s Resignation as Solution to End Crisis

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Saturday that a solution to the Lebanese cabinet crisis does not come through the resignation of the government but through understanding and dialogue.

At the opening of a conference organized by his Amal movement at UNESCO Palace in Beirut, Berri said: “The solution is not through the resignation of the government but through finding a solution.”

“Keenness on Lebanon comes through understanding and the continued search for a solution,” he said.

His comments came after fears that the government of Premier Najib Miqati would collapse over the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Berri stepped in on Friday to resolve the government crisis that erupted after ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun thwarted a cabinet quorum with their boycott of a session at Baabda palace.

Berri held talks with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s political aid, Hussein Khalil, and Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil in Ain el-Tineh on Friday night.

The minister, who is loyal to Berri, later met with President Michel Suleiman and Premier Najib Miqati “to discuss the future of the cabinet.”

Media reports said Khalil informed Suleiman that the Amal movement stresses the “cohesion of the government.”

“Experience showed that no one can have the right to veto national decisions,” Berri said in his speech. “Understanding needs a national dialogue under the sponsorship of the president to reach consensus on all controversial issues.”

Berri also stressed that the stability of the nation is the responsibility of the government and the opposition alike.

“No one can escape his responsibilities towards the crises that we are suffering from and no one can bury his head in the sand,” he said.