Report: Berri not bothered by parliament sit-in

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is not bothered by an open-ended sit-in inside parliament, sources close to the speaker told al-Joumhouria newspaper.

In remarks published Monday, the sources quoted Berri as saying that he does not consider the sit-in as a confrontation but rather a "right."

MPs Melhem Khalaf and Najat Saliba of the Change parliamentary bloc had begun on Thursday an open-ended sit-in inside parliament to press for an end to the presidential deadlock. Other change and opposition MPs joined them later.

Berri also reportedly said that he wants a president to be elected as soon as possible, like the protesting MPs and even more than them.

He added, according to the sources, that he had called for dialogue himself, but there was no responsiveness to that call.