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Arab League calls for "calm" in Lebanon after government collapse

Arab World Materials 13 January 2011 15:32 (UTC +04:00)
The Arab League called for "calm" in Lebanon on Thursday, warning that the situation could deteriorate if Lebanese politicians do not work to restore unity following the collapse of the government a day earlier.
Arab League calls for "calm" in Lebanon after government collapse

The Arab League called for "calm" in Lebanon on Thursday, warning that the situation could deteriorate if Lebanese politicians do not work to restore unity following the collapse of the government a day earlier, DPA reported.

In a statement, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa called on Lebanese political leaders "to show calm and the wisdom, and uphold the interest of keeping the doors of dialogue open."

He then told reporters on the sidelines of a democracy-promoting forum in Doha, Qatar that "we don't want Lebanon to move back to square one," a reference to the days when the country was wracked by civil war.

His remarks come less than 24 hours after Hezbollah ministers and their allies in the national unity government resigned over disagreements regarding the United Nations tribunal which is probing the 2005 killing of Prime Minister Saad Hariri's father, Rafik.

"The tribunal should be above politics and justice should have its say and Lebanon must have a government," Moussa told reporters.

"But since we were waiting for several years, why not six more months of time in order to defuse the situation," he added.

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