U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon Friday called on leaders on both sides of Lebanon's political divide to pursue dialogue to end the country's most damaging crisis since the civil war.
After talks with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, Ban urged Lebanese leaders to engage in "dialogue" in order to reach "national reconciliation." Ban's talks in Beirut covered the ongonig crisis in Lebanon and plans for the creation of an international tribunal over the 2005 murder of former premier Rafik Hariri and the status of the U.N. probe into the killing.
According to AFP, he noted the "importance of the full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, in addition to the establishment of the tribunal" due to try suspects in the Hariri murder and related crimes.
"I emphasized our commitment to the establishment of the tribunal of Lebanon as soon as possible," he said. "We call for Lebanese national consensus on this tribunal."
Ban also met Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and senior security officials.
On Saturday, he is expected to travel to south Lebanon to visit the U.N. peacekeeping force monitoring a ceasefire that ended last year's war between Israel and Hizbullah.
