Berri Says It's Time to Steer Clear of Speeches and Take Decisions
Speaker Nabih Berri downplayed the controversy on the latest speeches made by al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, saying the two parties will continue to engage in dialogue to take important decisions.
“We are done with the speeches of platforms and we will head to the dialogue aimed at taking decisions and implementing them,” Berri said in remarks published in several local dailies on Wednesday.
He nade similar remarks to lawmakers during his weekly meeting with them.
The talks between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal officials, which started under Berri's sponsorship in Ain el-Tineh in December, aim to defuse tension and discuss the vacuum at Baabda Palace.
A new session is scheduled to be held on Wednesday.
But there are fears that the dialogue would be undermined by the latest speeches made by Hariri and Nasrallah.
The Hizbullah chief on Monday hit back at the Mustaqbal leader, saying all Lebanese should go to Syria to fight the “serious and real” threat that terrorism poses to the entire region.
Hariri spoke on Saturday during a rally commemorating the 10th anniversary of the assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
He said the talks with Hizbullah were “a national necessity” to defuse sectarian tensions.
But he also stressed that the Lebanese state should have jurisdiction over decisions of war and peace and criticized Hizbullah over its presence in Syria which he described as an act of madness.
Despite the stances of the rival parties, As Safir daily quoted informed sources as saying that Hizbullah and Mustaqbal have common visions on limiting sectarian tension, consolidating the security situation, backing the army and security forces, confronting terrorism, placing a strategy to counter extremism, holding onto the government and agreeing on the importance of speeding up the presidential elections.
Al-Mustaqbal sources quoted Hariri as saying that the dialogue with Hizbullah should continue and that it has so far reached positive results in terms of limiting tension.
Hariri chaired the meeting of al-Mustaqbal bloc on Tuesday.
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