Arab League chief Amr Mussa is due to return to Lebanon in a new attempt to help resolve the country's political deadlock, a government minister has said. "We're expecting him on February 8," Telecommunication Minister Marwan Hamadeh told AFP Wednesday.
"Regardless of progress (on resolving the crisis), his presence has become indispensable," he said.
Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and other participants in the Paris III conference "have insisted on Mussa's return", Hamadeh added.
On Tuesday, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Saniora has welcomed a call from Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah not to allow the crisis to slide into armed conflict. "These comments are a positive gesture," said Saniora.
Nasrallah has "over the past two days been rejecting any recourse to violence or arms" to resolve the political impasse, Saniora said, according to the premier's office. "We encourage and support these efforts."
