Berri: Insistence on the 2000 electoral law is hampering dialogue

Source: AFP, 21-04-2008
BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berri on Saturday moved a table with 14 seats around it into the Parliament building to try to encourage rival political leaders to start talking and end a prolonged deadlock, his spokesman said. "This step is a reaffirmation that Berri is more steadfast today than at any time before ... that there is no alternative to dialogue as a way out of this political impasse," Ali Hamdan, the speaker's adviser told AFP.
Although the wooden round table has been set up on the second floor of the Parliament building, Hamdan said none of the feuding political leaders has been invited yet as he is awaiting "receptiveness" from the ruling coalition to his proposal.
Berri's calls for inter-Lebanese talks has already been rebuffed by Premier Fouad Siniora, who has called for an urgent meeting of Arab foreign ministers and Beirut's strained relations with Damascus.
Speaker Nabih Berri said that the dialogue he is calling for is aimed at saving the Arab initiative, which has reached a dead end.
"I have said this clearly to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa," Berri told the Lebanese daily As-Safir.
"Dialogue is the only way to ensure the holding of the presidential elections," he added.
Lebanon's Parliament has been paralyzed for over 16 months and sessions planned to elect a president have been postponed 17 times. The next session is scheduled for Tuesday, but is unlikely to take place.
Berri said that the roundtable for dialogue is ready at the parliament building and is pending various parties' approval.
"No matter how complicated things get, no one can avoid dialogue. What will they lose if they sit together for dialogue?" he asked.
Berri said that some peoples' insistence on the 2000 electoral law is obstructing dialogue. "This law is not acceptable, and they are obstructing dialogue because it will reveal their true opinions, especially regarding Christians. Under the 2000 electoral law, Christians will not be able to elect more than half of their representatives, while the other half will be elected by other MPs," he added.