UN envoy meets Lahoud, urges all to move seriously towards peace

The UN. special coordinator for Middle East Peace, Terje Roed-Larsen, said in Beirut on Monday that resuming peace negotiations in the region is a "historic opportunity" and all parties should move forward seriously.

Larsen made these remarks after separate meetings with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Salim Al-Hoss.

The Norwegian diplomat, who arrived in Beirut last night from London, said the UN was ready to lend a helping hand to negotiators to make sure they succeed this time in forging a peace deal.

Roed-Larsen said, "We share a common optimistic view with the Lebanese officials on the resumption of the Peace negotiation in Washington... and there's an historic opportunity and that all parties should seriously move forward."

Roed-Larsen was commenting on the decision to resume Syrian-Israeli peace talks in Washington on Wednesday. Talks were suspended in 1996 following the election of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Roed-Larsen voiced hope that Lebanon would be part of the Washington talks "so we can reach, as soon as possible, results that lead to a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East."

He said that talks in Beirut tackled economic, financial and social matters that might result from the eace Process and the need for international support to Lebanon economically and socially when a deal is realized in a bid to revive the national economy.