French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner tried Tuesday to achieve a breakthrough in Lebanon's ongoing political crisis, asking Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir for a list of presidential candidates and criticizing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for opposing the election track.Kouchner's fifth visit to Lebanon in six months coincides with a flurry of diplomatic initiatives to nudge Lebanon's feuding parties to agree on a consensus candidate to succeed Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud, whose extended term in office expires Nov. 24.
After talks in Beirut, Kouchner said he was cautiously optimistic about chances to end the deadlock and hoped to return to Lebanon next Monday after visits to Israel and the Palestinian territories over the weekend.
Parliament speaker Nabih Berri has already postponed three sessions for MPs to elect a successor to Lahoud, and there are fears a last-ditch parliament session set for Nov. 21 could also end in failure. In addition to meeting with Sfeir, Kouchner held talks with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora , Berri, Parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri , former president Amine gemayel and Lebanese Forces' leader Dr. Samir Geagea . He met with Sfeir later in the day and afterwards talked to reporters . Kouchner said he has asked Sfeir to prepare a list of candidates backed by all the sects as well as by the opposition and the majority and "the patriarch did not reject."
He criticized Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, without mentioning him by name, by expressing "regret for hearing threatening statements made two days ago indicating that the option of electing a president is not the best track."