Kouchner 'friday Is Another Day And There Will Be Pleasant Surprises.'
|
11/22/2007
A joint press conference between Kouchner and Arab League Chief Amr Mussa, which was supposed to take place yesterday, was canceled. Meanwhile, the French diplomat pursued his efforts to reach a last minute breakthrough, less than 24 hours before parliament is to elect a president.
Foreign mediators are joining efforts push the Lebanese feuding parties to agree on a president, with a time bomb reaching it last ticks. For the past few days, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Arab League Chief Amr Mussa have been shuttling between the various political heavyweights in Lebanon to try and break the deadlock. But both feuding sides have not seemed to agree on a common candidate for the presidential post. Both mediators met yesterday at the French Embassy's Residence des Pins, but the expected Kouchner-Mussa press conference was canceled. Kouchner also visited House Speaker Nabih Berri before heading to Bikfaya where he held talks with former president Amine Gemayel. On an optimistic note, Kouchner told reporters 'Friday is another day and there will be pleasant surprises.' He said Gemayel's efforts are go hand in hand with the French initiative, which complements Bkirki's initiative. He stressed the candidate needed is someone 'who can secure the votes of the electoral body in Parliament on Friday' and said time will tell. The French diplomat reiterated that it is up to the Lebanese to solve their problems and that his country is working in parallel to inter-Lebanese dialogue. He added that choosing a candidate from the list prepared by Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nesrallah Boutros Sfeir's initiative is not working at the moment. But Kouchner expressed hope that the Lebanese will remain hopeful and with good intentions. The French minister said he will be in Beirut until tomorrow. |
