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Lebanese presidential vote unlikely on Friday
Lebanon's presidential election is unlikely to take place on Friday as planned because rival leaders have yet to finalize a political deal to make the army chief president, political sources said on Thursday.Parliament had been due to convene on Friday to elect a president, a post vacant since Nov. 23 when the term of pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud expired. But the lack of a deal means the vote will be put off for a 7th time, probably to next week. The presidency is the latest focus of a power struggle between the anti-Syrian governing coalition and the opposition led by the pro-Damascus Hezbollah. Gen. Michel Suleiman has emerged as a candidate acceptable to the rival camps. The vote will go ahead only if the Western-backed ruling coalition and the Hezbollah-led opposition first agree on a broad power-sharing deal, including the shape of a new cabinet. A senior political source ruled out holding the election on Friday but was confident a deal would eventually be reached. "There is no going back," he said. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, also an opposition leader, met anti-Syrian majority coalition leader Saad al-Hariri in the presence of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Posted by: Fred 2007-12-07 |
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