Lebanese Political Rivals Hold Rare Meeting
By VOA News
27 October 2008
Lebanon's key political rivals have met for the first time in two years.
Officials said Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah met parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri at an undisclosed location Sunday.
A joint statement released after the meeting stressed the importance of "national unity and civil peace" to prevent tension and reinforce dialogue.
The statement said the meeting was "open and frank." It did not elaborate.
The two sides are to meet again on November 5 for a national dialogue that will deal primarily with the fate of Hezbollah's weapons.
The dialogue is part of a Qatari-brokered power-sharing deal that ended fighting between supporters of the Western-backed parliamentary majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition.
The violence erupted in May after an 18-month-long political standoff that shut down the government.
The power-sharing deal allowed the election of consensus President Michel Suleiman, as well as the appointment of a Cabinet where Hezbollah and its allies hold enough seats to veto any government decision.
Lebanon is to hold parliamentary elections next year.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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