Hizbullah and Mustaqbal Support 'Continuation of Dialogue in This Critical Period'

Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal movement lauded Tuesday during their 18th dialogue session Speaker Nabih Berri's recent call for national dialogue, saying it should continue amid the “critical period” that the country is going through.

“The conferees discussed the political developments and applauded Speaker Berri's call for convening a (national) dialogue conference in a bid to reach an agreement on the issues mentioned in the agenda,” said the two parties in a joint statement issued after the Ain el-Tineh talks.

The conferees “support the continuation of dialogue amid this critical situation that the country is going through,” they added.

The statement said the participants also tackled “the current issues, especially restoring the regularity of the work of state institutions and finding solutions to the current crises that are of concern to citizens.”

The bilateral talks between the two parties come on the eve of a second national dialogue session called for by Berri. The first session, which did not yield any results, was held last Wednesday.

A terse official statement recited by the parliament's secretary-general said “the conferees explained their viewpoints on the current issues while focusing on the agenda's first item, which is the presidential vote and the steps needed to achieve it.”

“The mere occurrence of this dialogue reflects success, as we are all confirming our commitment to dialogue as the only way to overcome our crises, and our adherence to our country's unity and the coexistence formula,” Berri told the conferees at the beginning of Wednesday's national dialogue session.

“This meeting was necessary in order to rescue our country from the current state of paralysis, so that we don't later find our country in the dustbins of history,” added Berri.

He also warned that “the negativity emanating from the partisan and personal interests has started to pose a threat to Lebanon's existence.”

The dialogue sessions come amid unprecedented anti-government protests in the country.

The protest movement of civil society groups began in mid-July as piles of garbage built up in Beirut and Mount Lebanon after the closure of Lebanon's largest landfill in Naameh.

But it has since grown to represent broader frustrations that cut across sectarian and partisan lines, including electricity and water shortages, and endemic corruption among the political elite.

Demonstrations in the capital grew from several dozen protesters to thousands, peaking when tens of thousands descended on Martyrs' Square on August 29.

Groups like "You Stink" and "We Want Accountability" are among a handful of civil society campaigns born out of the movement that have called for additional protests.

Y.R.