Lebanon's Islamists welcome Berri's national dialogue initiative

Lebanon’s Islamic Group expressed its support for the protests held against the “the political elite’s indifference towards citizens’ hardships.”

The group’s political bureau issued a statement yesterday welcoming the initiative presented by Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in which he called for holding a national dialogue to find a solution for the crisis that has hit the country. Berri noted that the national dialogue he called for would not replace the state’s institutions and the government.

The Islamic Group stressed that it is important that the government continues to work in light of the presidential vacuum and the stalemate that hinders the parliament’s activities. The group called on the prime minister to activate the role played by the cabinet council and its meetings so as to ensure that the state’s institutions continue to operate and protect the country from a political vacuum and collapse.

The statement demanded that radical solutions be adopted in order to resolve the country’s crisis and stressed the need to elect a new president soon, noting that this is key for Lebanon to get out of the crisis.