Berri arrives from Damascus with plan for easing conditions in Lebanon
Lebanon, Politics, 4/7/1999

High-ranking parliamentary sources in Lebanon said on Tuesday that the talks Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri held in Damascus with Maj. Gen. Bashar al-Assad, son of the Syrian president, and Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam in the presence of the chairman of the Lebanese Socialist Progressive Party, Walid Jumblatt, who is also a member of the Lebanese Parliament were held in "a convenient atmosphere that falls in the course of mobilizing Lebanese-Syrian efforts to calm down the situation in Lebanon following the wave of political unrest which was coincided with the submission of the Auditing Department report of the Municipalities Fund by the Lebanese Cabinet to the Attorney General judge Adnan Addoum.

The Lebanese Parliamentary sources asserted the visit made by Berri to Lebanese President Emile Lahoud on Sunday night on his way back from Damascus also fell in the context of cooling the political atmosphere between the government and former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who is currently visiting Saudi Arabia, and between the Lebanese government and Parliamentarian Walid Jumblatt.

The parliamentary sources also indicated that efforts have concentrated on the need to restore the Lebanese political atmosphere to normal and initiate a dialogue and that the efforts concentrated on the main opposition members, namely Hariri and Jumblatt. They said the efforts will cover all sides concerned with no exception because discussions on the budget plan for 1999 require a healthy atmosphere that allows the participation and involvement of all.

The Lebanese Parliamentary sources also spoke about the mechanism for a new move led by Berri with Syria's support.

On the other side of the matter, Jumblatt who arrived back in Beirut on Tuesday from Damascus, refrained from commenting about the results of his talks in Damascus. He told reporters in Beirut: "I will not talk and I leave talks for others to do so."

When Jumblatt was told that the parliamentary sources quoted Berri's satisfaction, he replied: "Very good. Let's wait for the practical measures, and in light of that we will talk."

Previous Stories:
  Moratinos in Lebanon today   (4/5/1999)
  Lebanese Finance minister denies resignation   (4/3/1999)
  On the troubles of al-Hariri   (4/3/1999)

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