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Berri Adjourns the Presidential Elections' Session till Friday |
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Written by Naharnet - AP
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A planned Lebanese parliament session to elect a president was postponed on Tuesday by two more days as intense mediation between rival factions struggled to reach a compromise candidate. Army and police reinforcements headed toward Beirut, fearing a volatile power vacuum.
The election had been due on Wednesday, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri waited till late Tuesday to announce the postponement in order to give room for last-minute negotiations.
A statement from the parliamentary secretariat said the session was put off until 1 p.m. (1100GMT) Friday.
Berri, in another statement, asked the Lebanese "not to be pessimistic."
That puts the fourth and latest attempt to elect a president only 11 hours before President Emile Lahoud's term ends.
A mood of frustration and pessimism settled on this small Arab nation on Tuesday as a weekend deadline for an election approached. President Emile Lahoud leaves office Friday night, and fears of turmoil -- including the possible creation of two rival governments -- are high if no agreement is reached on his replacement.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who has been mediating for months Lebanon's worst political crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, said Tuesday that the postponement was to give rival factions more time.(AP)
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