Berri to start talks with local parties after call for dialogue failed

Speaker Nabih Berri will activate in the coming days his contacts with local parties concerning the election of a new president, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper said.

In remarks published Tuesday, the daily said that Berri who had warned of vacuum, is also betting on positive foreign efforts to expedite the election of a new president.

"Some have crossed the limits of national responsibility by refusing Berri's call for dialogue," a source close to the speaker told Asharq al-Awsat.

The source added that a president must be elected in order to benefit from the demarcation achievement, the gas exploration and the agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

French oil giant Total said on Tuesday that it will soon launch exploration activities in search for gas in the Mediterranean Sea off Lebanon’s coast.