July 26, 2010 - Daily Star - Sharm el-Sheikh summit to discuss Lebanon

BEIRUT: A large-scale Saudi-Egyptian summit is expected to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh next week to discuss developments on the Lebanese political scene as well as the peace process, Kuwait’s state-run National News Agency KUNA reported on Sunday.

Tensions re-emerged in Lebanon after Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah revealed in a speech last week that he expected members of his party to be indicted for former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination five years ago. Nasrallah also described the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as an “Israeli project.”

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa had warned over the weekend against strife in Lebanon. He said tensions in Lebanon only served the country’s enemies and hailed President Michel Sleiman’s efforts to unite Lebanese leaders.

According to KUNA, Saudi King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will hold “important” talks revolving around Lebanon and other issues on Wednesday in the Egyptian coastal city.

In Lebanon and the region it is feared Nasrallah’s announcement could trigger new violence in the country similar to that of May 2008 in which over 100 people were killed when Hizbullah staged a takeover of mainly Sunni west Beirut following a crackdown on the party.

Meanwhile, several media reports over the weekend said Arab countries that helped seal the Doha accord, which put an end to the May 2008 violence, were multiplying efforts to preserve stability in Lebanon.

Saudi King Abdullah, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani are all expected to visit Beirut next week.

Official sources told An-Nahar newspaper that King Abdullah would travel to Beirut following a trip to Damascus on July 29. But the sources refused to confirm reports on whether the king would arrive from Syria with Assad on the same plane.

A Lebanese ministerial source told Agence France Presse that Abdullah arrives in Beirut on July 30 following a visit to Damascus. The king will hold summit talks with President Michel Sleiman, it said.

Qatar’s emir, meanwhile, will make a three-day visit to Beirut during the same period to inspect projects carried out by Doha after the summer 2006 war with Israel. Sheikh Hamad will also take part in the Army Day celebrations on August 1. – The Daily Star, with agencies