Middle East News

Lebanese leaders to travel on separate planes to Doha for talks

May 16, 2008, 8:19 GMT

Beirut - Lebanon's rival leaders were on Friday preparing to fly to Qatar in separate planes in a bid to end the country's political crisis and elect a president, a government source said. The Western-backed majority is travelling on one plane and the opposition led by the radical Shiite Hezbollah movement on another. They were invited by Qatar for talks to end the Lebanese political crisis. Journalists and assistants are expected to travel on a third plane. The source hoped that all would return on one plane. Opposition sources said Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah would not go to Doha for security reasons. They said Hezbollah members of parliament Mohammed Raad, Mohammed Fneish and Hussein Hajj Hassan would represent Nasrallah at the talks. Meanwhile, the daily As Safir said Druze leader Walid Jumblat telephoned Hajj Wafik Safa, Hezbollah's security coordinator, late Thursday in the first such contact between the two sides in a long time. Quoting sources close to Jumblatt, As Safir said the Druze leader told Safa that 'throughout my life I used to fight with honour and make peace with honour.' The talks were announced by Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani at a news conference. The leaders of the rival Lebanese factions agreed to talk in Doha as of Friday to elect Army Commander General Michel Suleiman president and to form a national unity government. The feuding factions agreed on spreading state authority throughout Lebanon, on refraining from using weapons for political aims, withdrawing gunmen from the streets and halting propaganda campaigns that agitate hatred. Meanwhile, all roads which were closed on May 7 were opened by Hezbollah militants, including the highway leading to Beirut's international airport, paving the way for commercial flights to resume. 'The airport is the only link (from) Lebanon to the outside world,' said Hana Haidar, a hostess at Lebanon's national carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA). She said seeing the opening of roads and life returning to normal was 'a relief for all Lebanese.' The violence in Lebanon over the past week left 82 people killed and more than 250 wounded.

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