Berri Hopes Abdullah's Recovery Period Doesn't Last Long

Speaker Nabih Berri lamented that the Saudi-Syrian initiative had entered a "recovery stage" as Saudi King Abdullah was convalescing following his back surgery in New York.

Abdullah's illness reflected negatively on the initiative because the king along with Syrian President Bashar Assad is its primary sponsor, Berri reportedly told his visitors on Monday night.

"During his recuperation, the initiative came to a halt," he said. "And when the king entered the recovery period the initiative" did the same.

"We hope the resting period does not last long," Berri told his visitors, according to An Nahar newspaper on Tuesday.

The speaker also discussed with his visitors Syrian state-run daily Teshreen's report that all sides are hoping that Premier Saad Hariri would take the bold stance to reject the accusation of Hizbullah members of involvement in his father's assassination.

Teshreen reiterated Assad's remark that the rejection would be similar to the torpedoing of the May 17 agreement of 1983.