Berri 'Annoyed' over 'Misinterpreting' His Dialogue Initiative

Speaker Nabih Berri expressed his “annoyance” on Wednesday over the “misinterpretation” of the dialogue proposal he come forward with during his latest televised speech.

"Berri is upset at those who intentionally misinterpreted several clauses of his suggestion, especially in what concerns disassociating Lebanon from the Syrian crisis and favoring instead to wait and see how things develop in the neighboring country,” several lawmakers quoted the speaker as saying after meeting with him in Ain el-Tineh.

They added: “Berri will give his proposal a push by forming a delegation tasked with explaining his initiative to different factions in the country.”

Berri announced that the delegation will include Liberation and Development bloc MPs Michel Moussa, Yassine Jaber and Ali Bazzi, the state-run National News Agency said, adding that it will hold talks with President Michel Suleiman, the caretaker premier and the Prime Minister-designate, as well as all parliamentary blocs.

"The roadmap I had suggested brings back hope of moving forward in the country instead of the vacuum towards which we are heading,” NNA reported, quoting the speaker.

Berri also reiterated calls to include “all the political components in the new cabinet.”

On August 31, the Shiite leader suggested holding a five-day dialogue retreat to discuss pending issues in the country.

In a televised speech he gave in the 35th memory of the disappearance of the spiritual leader Moussa al-Sadr, Berri suggested to Suleiman “setting a roadmap that includes holding a five-day dialogue retreat to discuss the formation of the cabinet and its policy statement.”