Beirut, February 28: President Michel Sleiman held talks Saturday with a number of Arab and international leaders on the sidelines of an official visit to Kuwait to participate in ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the Persian Gulf country’s independence.
Sleiman held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, Qatari Prince Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Spanish King Juan Carlos and Iraqi President Jalal Talbani.
Sleiman’s discussions with the Syrian, Turkish and Qatari heads of states follow the failure of efforts mediated by them, as well as Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz, to break the deadlock between rival Lebanese camps over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
A failed Saudi-Syrian initiative led to the collapse of caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s 14-month-old national unity Cabinet last month and the decision of the Hariri-led March 14 alliance to boycott the new government to be formed by Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati.
Mikati failed to convince March 14 groups to join the government after he refused to voice commitment to maintaining support for the STL or seeking the restriction of weapons to state authorities.
——–Agencies