Russian official urges rival Lebanese camps to resume dialogue
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A Russia official on Friday joined the chorus of international voices urging rival Lebanese factions to resume dialogue as the only way to resolve the political crisis that has deadlocked the country.
The call by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Sultanov came a day after French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner pressed Lebanon's feuding leaders to work together to elect a president.
"We reiterated Russia's clear position that the Lebanese themselves must find a solution without foreign interference," Sultanov told reporters after talks with President Emile Lahoud.
Russia supports "inter-Lebanese dialogue as the only way to preserve Lebanon, a friend of Russia, as a united, democratic, sovereign and independent state," he said.