Reactions to Hrawi's call for early election

President Elias Hrawi is ready to drop the call he made for early presidential elections, reported former Prime Minister Saeb Salam after his meeting with Hrawi in Baabda yesterday. Salam also added that the time is wrong to open the issue of elections.

But Hrawi's statements provoked reponses from many leading Lebanese figures. Speaker Nabih Berri told his visitors in Ein-El-Tineh that the call is too early and might endanger the economic situation which is already weak.

Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was visiting Kuwait, described the situation as a summer cloud that will pass.

Also, the Minister of the Interior Michel Murr is traveling to Damascus today to discuss this latest development with Syrian officials.

Al-Safir had reported that Hrawi denied that there was any political dimension to the call for elections and said that he was just tired.