Middle East News
Lebanese dialogue on political crisis starts in Qatar
By DPA
May 17, 2008, 11:56 GMT

Doha - Lebanese leaders agreed on Saturday to form a four- member panel that will debate a new electoral law and the political standoff in the country during a meeting in the Qatari capital Doha.

The committee will focus on the issues of the electoral law and the government, since the Lebanese ruling majority and the opposition have agreed that Michel Suleiman, the army's commander-in-chief, will be elected the new president.

Lebanese sources told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that the issue of the electoral law is a difficult one, as the government majority and the opposition are not yet settled on its wording.

The first session of the 'Lebanon Dialogue' conference witnessed a quarrel when a governmental member verbally attacked a member of the Shiite militant movement Hezbollah.

The opposition delegation considered the attack an attempt to put Hezbollah on top of the meeting's agenda.

Lebanon's Premier Fouad Seniora and the leader of majority in parliament Saad al-Hariri were present at the conference, while Nabih Berri, parliament speaker, and Micheal Aoun represented the opposition delegation.