Last update - 00:00 23/12/2006
Amr Moussa: Efforts to end Lebanese crisis not success nor failure
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
The head of the Arab League Amr Moussa said on Saturday that efforts to resolve Lebanon's political crisis have not succeeded but did not rule out future negotiations among rival factions.
"I leave to the factions in Lebanon a table full of proposals to find a solution to the crisis," Moussa told reporters in Beirut, ahead of his departure after four days of talks with allies aligned with the militant group Hezbollah and the United States-backed government.
"I am not saying that we have succeeded, but also we did not fail," he said.
Tensions among rival groups erupted when six pro-Hezbollah Cabinet ministers resigned after Prime Minister Fuad Siniora rejected their demand for a new national unity government.
Hezbollah, having gained increasing political clout after its summer war with Israel, wants to topple Siniora's government. A unity government would give the pro-Hezbollah factions veto power in the Cabinet.
Siniora's allies, meanwhile, have accused Hezbollah of being influenced by Iran and Syria, which they claim want to destabilize Lebanon by supporting the militant group's plans to oust the government
Hezbollah supporters have been staging massive protests and ongoing sit-ins in downtown Beirut for the past three weeks as part of their effort to force Siniora to resign, but the U.S.-backed premier has refused to step down.
Though the Arab League secretary-general did not blame either side for failing to reach a solution, he urged all parties to remain calm and said he may return to Beirut for more talks after New Year's.