CAIRO: The French foreign minister called on Lebanese political factions to end their confrontation ahead of an international donors conference, saying during his brief Mideast visit Saturday that stability was key to restoring the country s struggling economy. Egypt and France agree on the ways to achieve this, Douste-Blazy said, listing mediation efforts by the Arab League as the way to promote a political solution to the standoff and prevent any attempts to destabilize Lebanon. Lebanon has been shaken by mass street protests since Dec. 1, after Hezbollah and allied Cabinet ministers quit the government. The donors conference is scheduled Jan. 25 in Paris, and Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy stopped in to oil-rich Saudi Arabia and in Egypt to discuss the international forum with both countries foreign ministers Saturday. We want Lebanon to overcome its current turmoil, he said in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit. During his earlier stop in Saudi Arabia, the French foreign minister and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud Al-Faisal also discussed the oil-rich nation s support the donors conference. In a joint press conference, Al-Faisal appealed to Lebanese political factions to end weeks of confrontation for the donors meeting to succeed. The foreign ministers also called on Iran to accept international demands on halting its uranium enrichment program, saying the Mideast should be free of weapons of mass destruction. We discussed the nuclear dossier in the region and its hazards, Al-Faisal said. We agreed on the necessity that the region should be void of weapons of mass destruction and that achieving this target will be by dialogue and diplomacy, he said. Israel should not be excluded from the international efforts and procedures, he added, reflecting regional demands that the Jewish state also be scrutinized for its nuclear program. The foreign ministers call came as Iran recently stated it would continue to defy international sanctions aimed at rolling back its uranium enrichment program. Iran has to respond to international demands regarding this issue, and should have a positive stance, Douste-Blazy was quoted as saying by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but the United States and Europe fear Iran is trying to develop an atomic bomb. Arab states near Iran are concerned nuclear accidents could endanger their citizens or environment, and fear a possible military confrontation between the Islamic regime and the United States or its Israeli ally. Gulf nations hosting US military bases - Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar - also fear Iran could retaliate against them.
