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Last update - 22:02 19/02/2008 Siniora: Failure to solve Lebanon crisis undermines Arab Summit By Reuters Tags: Fouad Siniora, Lebanon  Next month's Arab summit in Syria would be undermined if a solution to Lebanon's political crisis cannot be found by then, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said on Tuesday. The election of a new Lebanese president has been delayed since November and Siniora told Reuters in an interview efforts were being made to fill the post and prevent a power vacuum. Siniora, whose anti-Syrian ruling coalition is locked in a 15-month power struggle against an opposition led by Shi'ite Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, said that without a Lebanese president the summit would lose its value. Advertisement "I believe that the lack of representation of Lebanon on a presidential level at the summit will make the summit lose a lot of its importance," he said. "This summit should be attended by all the presidents and all the Arab countries. Let us imagine a summit without Lebanon having a presidential seat at it, how would it look?" asked Siniora, who was in Britain for talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Diplomats and analysts say Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is unlikely to attend the Arab League's annual summit unless Lebanon's political deadlock is resolved. Asked whether Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, might not send top-level representation or even boycott the summit, Siniora said no decisions had been reached. "I don't really have any information that confirms the position of every Arab country. Lebanon has not asked any Arab country to boycott," he said. "We are saying that Lebanon should be represented by a president and all the Arabs expect Lebanon to be represented on a presidential level," he said. "This is what we are seeking and what others are seeking to facilitate the election of the president and to remove all the hurdles that are being placed from inside and outside Lebanon." Lebanon and other Arab countries have not received any official invitations yet from Syria to attend the summit in Damascus at the end of March. Lebanon's political crisis, the worst since the country's 1975-90 civil war, has also caused street clashes over the past. Saudi Arabia has emerged as a leading Arab power in recent years, as surging world oil prices have enabled the U.S. ally to play a more forceful role in settling regional disputes. Arab summits have in the past focused on such central issues as the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met on Tuesday under pressure to accelerate progress in peace negotiations that would include statehood for the Palestinians. The talks were launched at a summit in Annapolis, Maryland in November. Related articles: Lebanese PM: 'Open war' on Israel would harm Hezbollah Lebanon: Winograd war probe report sets scene for future war Lebanon tensions grow amid specter of renewed Israel-Hezbollah fighting Bookmark to del.icio.us   Intrigue at Heathrow According to the BBC, an IDF general dodged arrest as U.K. police feared shootout. Decency in remission A Ramat Yishai widow is suspected of faking cancer to receive donations.   1.   Siniora &Arab Summit 07:00  |  geoff 20/02/08

Today Online Olmert meets Abbas but Jerusalem not on agenda Responses: 179 Lebanon tense amid specter of fresh Israel-Hezbollah fighting Responses: 178 German intellectuals: Israel's creation made Palestinians victims of the Nazi Holocaust Responses: 312 Meron Benvenisti: The demographic bomb is 1-2 years away Responses: 92 Yoel Marcus: Better to keep tabs on terrorists than to kill them Responses: 47 Rosner's Domain Does John McCain need Evangelical voters? (WTR) Rosner's Guest(s): Orthodox women want a "seat at the table" Gaza: The Problem Nobody Wants Poll: Is it important to have an Israeli-Palestinian agreement by the end of 2008? The row over Obama's stance on Israel is a dispute between Jews More Headlines 06:24 Settlements growing despite PM pledge to stop building 05:21 ANALYSIS: When it comes to Jerusalem, both sides are right 01:44 Report: UK police did not arrest IDF general fearing shootout 03:11 MKs to tour Europe, Far East urging stronger action against Iran 03:15 Secular families leave J'lem neighborhood, ultra-Orthodox take over 22:42 Peace minded residents of Gaza, Sderot meet online, write blog 06:20 Sweden accused of persecuting civil servant for pro-Israel views 04:05 Officials at odds over first planned Arab city since Israel established 04:27 Police arrest 2 men for assaulting cab driver, 72, then stealing his taxi 06:34 IDF history dept. chief allegedly made soldiers help write his books 04:42 Labor party minister appeals bill 'empowering' rabbinical courts 05:41 Business owners in north told to return Lebanon war compensation Previous Editions Select Day 19 feb 18 feb 17 feb 15 feb 14 feb 13 feb 12 feb 11 feb 10 feb 08 feb 07 feb 06 feb

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