Arab foreign ministers holding crisis talks in Cairo are divided on a draft resolution over the current clashes in Lebanon, reports say.
"Oh, what shall we do?"
"I make a motion we dither!"
"All in favor...?"
"Aye!... Nay!... Aye!... Nay!... Aye!... Nay!... Aye!... Nay!... Aye!... Nay!... Aye!..."
"The motion is deadlocked!" |
The draft resolution is condemning Hezbollah for the situation in Lebanon, delegates said on Sunday. "Many countries are against this text because of the implicit condemnation of Hezbollah," AFP quoted one diplomat as saying on condition of anonymity.
"Well, why shouldn't we condemn them? They occupied Beirut!"
"They have guns. They might win in the end. What would we do then?"
"Can we condemn Israel instead?"
"Who else? It's all their fault anyway. Somehow." |
The text was drawn by Egypt and put forward with the support of six other pro-Western Arab governments -- Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, delegates said. They said Syria, which did not send its foreign minister to the Cairo meeting and was represented by its ambassador to the Arab League, had objected to the draft.
"We object!"
"Okay. Motion withdrawn." |
The meeting followed days of lethal street battles in Lebanon which were erupted after the US-backed ruling coalition adopted two controversial measures against Lebanon's resistance movement of Hezbollah. The draft text also calls for a meeting of Lebanon's political leaders to discuss a proposed initiative aimed at ending the political deadlock.
"I got an idea! Let's have a meeting of Lebanon's political leaders to discuss a proposed initiative aimed at ending the political deadlock!"
"Whoa! Why didn't I think of that?" |
It urges Lebanese politicians "to attend a meeting with a ministerial delegation yet to be formed in order to discuss the
dangerous situation in Lebanon and draw up an urgent roadmap to implement the Arab initiative."
| "Right. A roadmap. That always works." |
The meeting would bring together three opposition figures -- parliament speaker Nabih Berri, former president Michel Aoun and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah -- with three pro-government politicians -- Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri and former president Amin Gemayel. Earlier, the Arab foreign ministers appealed for an end to the violence. Pro-Western Arab countries' anti-Hezbollah stance is adopted while their news outlets tried to help heighten tensions in the country by portraying the clashes as sectarian violence.
| Brilliant. Simply brilliant. |
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