Lebanese leaders meet to try and resolve crisis

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
In the first meeting in four months, leaders of Lebanon's pro-government and opposition camps said they had some "converging views" and called for an easing of tension as a first step toward ending the country's political crisis, one of the participants said Friday. Saad Hariri, the leader of the pro-government majority in parliament, held three hours of talks Thursday night with the parliamentary speaker, Nabih Berri, an opposition party leader who is aligned with Hizbullah. "The atmosphere of the meeting was positive and frank, and there was agreement on the need to resolve the crisis that Lebanon is going through and achieve a settlement that guarantees a return to normal life," said a statement issued by Hariri's office. "A number of converging views emerged as well as a number of points that need more consultation," the statement said. Hariri and Berri agreed to hold further talks "in the near future."