Saudi urges Lebanon leaders to end impasse
Source: Reuters
DUBAI, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz urged Lebanese leaders to negotiate an end to their political crisis after Lebanon's opposition said it would step up street protests to topple the government Saudi Arabia backs. "We fear some of the incidents that Lebanon is going through represent dangerous turning points that threaten its economic and political security and stability," Prince Sultan told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. "I want to take this opportunity to urge the brothers in Lebanon for self-restraint and rational dialogue and to put wisdom above emotion and work to unite Lebanese ranks and return to the legitimate constitutional institutions." Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah group and its allies plan to step up a campaign of protests and disruption next week to try to topple the Lebanese government by paralysing the country. The move is an attempt to break a deadlock that has defied mediation efforts and fuelled Sunni-Shi'ite tensions. Protesters have camped outside the heavily guarded office of the Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, a Sunni who is backed by Saudi Arabia, for the past five weeks to force him to cede veto power to the opposition or call early elections. Saudi Arabia, like its ally the United States, has been critical of Hezbollah since its guerrillas sparked a 34-day war with Israel after capturing two soldiers in a cross-border raid. They have both encouraged Siniora to stand firm but the deadlock has hurt Lebanon's recovery from the July-August war and raised fears of a slide into sectarian violence. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah held talks on Lebanon's political crisis with a senior Hezbollah leader last week in his first such contact with the Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim group aimed at easing tensions with the Saudi kingdom.
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