Fadlallah urges productive dialogue

Source: Daily Star, 23-04-2008
BEIRUT: Senior Muslim-Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah urged the country's politicians on Tuesday to find a way to transform the ongoing "sterile" debate into a "productive" dialogue. "The Lebanese problem cannot be solved through decisive declarations of opinions where fixed judgments are thrown here and there, nor can it be settled through cloudy positions," Fadlallah said during a meeting with Egyptian Ambassador Ahmad Bidiawi.
According to Fadlallah, solutions can be reached through the rejection of the "defeater and defeated" principle, while focusing on the "real formulas of consensus."
"Lebanon relies on Egypt to find a way out of the current crisis away from accusing this or that Lebanese party of hampering solutions," he added.
Fadlallah said that any Arab rapprochement might "lessen" the American pressure, which he said, "is still working on promoting Arab discords and hampering the Lebanese solution."
Bidiawi highlighted his country's keenness on settling the Lebanese crisis.
"Egypt has not abandoned its role on the Lebanese, Islamic and Arab levels," he said, calling on Lebanese parties to elect a new president and put an end to the ongoing crisis.