Here is a brief transcript of what he told the press

We thank the Arab delegation ... We hope the efforts made by this delegation to aid Lebanon will result in an exit from the crisis Lebanon is living. (Qatari) Sheikh Hamad is experienced and has several ties to Lebanon, so his heading the delegation will be beneficial.

We have one priority, and that is reassurance. After the events of recent days, when Hezbollah turned its arms on the streets and villages of Lebanon, is dangerous and brought fear to the hearts of the Lebanese ... Our top priority, then, is to reassure the people, the children, in all areas of Lebanon.

So we assume that the first clause in any initiative is to relieve the anxiety and ... cure the wounds of so many people - if they can be cured.

The impossible conditions set on the Arab initiative led to its standstill, despite our faith in and commitment to it.

Sheikh Hamad's suggestion was that dialogue continue ... and the convening of a meeting in Doha, Qatar, to find a solution to the Lebanese crisis. We welcome Sheikh Hamad's suggestions, and will discuss the matter with all concerned parties.

Based on the working paper that I understand will be issued, we will continue these efforts.

The first step is to reassure the people. The second step is to continue the Arab initiative and elect a president, form a national-unity government and adapt an electoral law. There is something that surpasses the latter, however, and that is the need to reassure the people who suffered indescribable experiences.

We will not begin any discussions until that problem is explored in depth, and we are sure that the events will never recur.

We know that the opposition only has negative suggestions - threats, etc. Sheikh Hamad will be talking with them.

We do not await reassurance by the Arab delegation. Reassurance comes from institutions ... on the future of Lebanese politics, and the means of finding a clear, guaranteed solution to the arms that reach from North to South.

We recently discovered new arms, outside Hezbollah, which also needs to be handled by the army. The army is at the basis of the reassurance we are looking into.

Share this Article:           
Feedback? We want to hear your thoughts!