DOHA, 20 May 2008 — Talks to end Lebanon’s political crisis suffered a setback yesterday after the Hezbollah-led opposition appeared to ignore proposals by Qatari mediators aimed at pulling the country back from the brink of civil war.
The Arab League intervened last week to end Lebanon’s worst domestic fighting since the 1975-1990 civil war and pave the way for the Doha talks between the ruling coalition and the opposition to end an 18-month-old crisis.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani made proposals on Sunday on power-sharing in a new government and the rivals had been expected to hammer out a compromise over a new election law yesterday.
Agreement on these points would pave the way for Parliament to elect army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as president, a post that has been vacant since November.
But a statement issued by opposition leaders after a meeting yesterday was short on detail and restated existing demands, disappointing the ruling camp and casting a pall over talks.
Sheikh Hamad met ruling coalition leaders for 90 minutes but no breakthrough appeared to have been reached.
The main sticking point appeared to be the composition of the government. Sheikh Hamad proposed a Cabinet of 30 ministers in which the ruling coalition would have 13 seats, the opposition 10 and the new president would name seven ministers.
Opposition delegates say they will only accept a proposal that guarantees them 11 ministers — or veto power in Cabinet. If they fail to agree, delegates said the rivals might opt for a transitional government made up of technocrats or politicians belonging to neither of the feuding camps.
On the election law, the latest proposal would refer to Parliament an existing plan for the 2009 elections that was drafted by a government-appointed committee of legal experts. The law combines direct voting with proportional representation.
Hezbollah politician Mohammed Fneish said his camp rejected the “idea of electing a president first and shaping a national unity government without achieving the election law.” The ruling coalition’s refusal to yield to the demand for an effective veto power in the Cabinet triggered the resignation of all Hezbollah ministers in November 2006.
