Hizbullah Delegation Meets Hariri in Qoraitem
Source: Al-Manar TV, 24-9-2008
The long-awaited "Beirut reconciliation" seems to be finally in the offing as a Hizbullah delegation visited Wednesday afternoon Future MP Saad Hariri at his residence in Qoraitem, marking the first meeting of its kind between officials of the two rival parties after long months of rupture of relations.
Indeed, well-informed sources told Al-Manar that a Hizbullah delegation, led by the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohamad Raad, would pay a visit to Hariri today. According to the sources, the delegation would also include MPs Amine Cherry, Hassan Fadlallah and Hussein Hajj Hassan.
Different press reports said the meeting would be preparatory for a summit that would later join Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Hariri.
Lebanese daily As-Safir earlier said that the delegation would relay to Hariri an official invitation from Sayyed Nasrallah for a meeting to establish political reconciliation. It added that Hariri will accept Sayyed Nasrallah's invitation before the Fitr holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri expressed support to the meeting between the two party leaders. "Consensus is not only a necessity in Lebanon but a duty and an act of belief," he told Lebanese daily An-Nahar. "All Lebanese sides should follow the path of reconciliation," he noted, adding that "only through reconciliation, we could fortify the country and protect it from the dangers that threaten its unity."
For his part, Deputy Head of Hizbullah political bureau Mahmoud Qmati said on Tuesday that the expected meeting between Hizbullah and the Future Movement would create a "good atmosphere" ahead of the second round of national dialogue, scheduled for November 5. "The Hizbullah-Future meeting will facilitate the success of the national talks and will ease political and sectarian tensions ahead of next year's parliamentary elections," Qmati told LBC television.
Meanwhile, March 14 coalition leaders met on Tuesday night in Qoraitem to discuss the expected Hizbullah - Future Movement meeting. They issued a statement after the meeting that emphasized the necessity of preserving peace and facilitating the reconciliation despite political differences.
The statement said that the coalition was committed to national constants, that it would not bargain over its political and electoral alliances, and that it would face violence and security threats and implement all the clauses of the Doha Agreement.
In the same context, Future Movement MP Ammar Houri told LBC television on Wednesday that the upcoming meeting is implementation of the Doha Agreement and was part of the movement toward openness and support of the state's authorities. He added that the meeting aimed to reduce political conflict, but, according to Houri, "we would be exaggerating if we called it reconciliation; it's rather an introduction."
The long-awaited "Beirut reconciliation" seems to be finally in the offing as a Hizbullah delegation visited Wednesday afternoon Future MP Saad Hariri at his residence in Qoraitem, marking the first meeting of its kind between officials of the two rival parties after long months of rupture of relations.
Indeed, well-informed sources told Al-Manar that a Hizbullah delegation, led by the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohamad Raad, would pay a visit to Hariri today. According to the sources, the delegation would also include MPs Amine Cherry, Hassan Fadlallah and Hussein Hajj Hassan.
Different press reports said the meeting would be preparatory for a summit that would later join Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Hariri.
Lebanese daily As-Safir earlier said that the delegation would relay to Hariri an official invitation from Sayyed Nasrallah for a meeting to establish political reconciliation. It added that Hariri will accept Sayyed Nasrallah's invitation before the Fitr holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri expressed support to the meeting between the two party leaders. "Consensus is not only a necessity in Lebanon but a duty and an act of belief," he told Lebanese daily An-Nahar. "All Lebanese sides should follow the path of reconciliation," he noted, adding that "only through reconciliation, we could fortify the country and protect it from the dangers that threaten its unity."
For his part, Deputy Head of Hizbullah political bureau Mahmoud Qmati said on Tuesday that the expected meeting between Hizbullah and the Future Movement would create a "good atmosphere" ahead of the second round of national dialogue, scheduled for November 5. "The Hizbullah-Future meeting will facilitate the success of the national talks and will ease political and sectarian tensions ahead of next year's parliamentary elections," Qmati told LBC television.
Meanwhile, March 14 coalition leaders met on Tuesday night in Qoraitem to discuss the expected Hizbullah - Future Movement meeting. They issued a statement after the meeting that emphasized the necessity of preserving peace and facilitating the reconciliation despite political differences.
The statement said that the coalition was committed to national constants, that it would not bargain over its political and electoral alliances, and that it would face violence and security threats and implement all the clauses of the Doha Agreement.
In the same context, Future Movement MP Ammar Houri told LBC television on Wednesday that the upcoming meeting is implementation of the Doha Agreement and was part of the movement toward openness and support of the state's authorities. He added that the meeting aimed to reduce political conflict, but, according to Houri, "we would be exaggerating if we called it reconciliation; it's rather an introduction."
Comments
- Related News
