Washington - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called
on the Lebanese leadership to follow through on the agreement reached
Wednesday to end the political crisis that brought the country to the
brink of civil war.
'We view this agreement as a positive step towards resolving the
current crisis,' Rice said in a statement.
Lebanese factions wrapped up an agreement after days of
negotiations under the guidance of the Qatari government in Doha that
includes election of a new president within the coming days.
Lebanon has been without an executive since pro-Syrian president
Emile Lahoud left office when his term expired in November, producing
a political stalemate over choosing a successor.
Under the agreement, a new president will soon be elected by
parliament, a new cabinet will be named and the rival factions
promised to revise Lebanon's electoral laws help prevent future
deadlocks.
The Lebanese parliament was unable to elect a new president over
disagreement over powersharing in the cabinet between the majority
and the Hezbollah-led opposition.
The agreement calls for 16 cabinet posts for the majority and 11
for the minority, effectively handing Hezbollah the veto authority it
had originally sought. Another three posts will be appointed by the
new president.
The outcome was seen as a victory for Hezbollah, whose gunmen took
to the streets earlier this month after the government banned a
telecommunications network operated by the Shiite militants. Fighting
between Hezbollah and rival factions left dozens dead and prompted
fears of a full blown civil war.
The United States blamed the feud on Hezbollah and its Iranian and
Syrian backers, and lists Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
Syria praised Wednesday's agreement.
US Assistant Secretary of State David Welch cautioned against
drawing conclusions the deal was a victory for Hezbollah, saying the
violent uprising that cut off sections of Beirut did not go over well
with the Lebanese people.
'The reaction to it has been extremely negative from most Lebanese
and certainly throughout the region,' Welch said.
USA
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