Lebanon's leaders meet in efort to end conflict

For the second time within one week, President Elias Hrawi, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri met, yesterday, in Baabda, in an attempt to resolve the conflict between the speaker and prime minister.

The five-hour meeting, which started with mutual blaming, didn't resolve the problem but opened the way for further talks. The three leaders have, indeed, decided to gather again in Baabda, today at noon. Details of the discussions were not disclosed to the media but the prime minister declared, while leaving Baabda, that the meeting wasn't bad and the personal disagreements have ended. Berri, on the other hand, left without commenting. His sources affirmed that today's meeting could be final.

In the mean time, there has been mention in some newspapers of a Lebanese-Syrian conference taking place next week with the meeting's realization depending on the relations between the speaker and the prime minister.