Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam arrived in Beirut last evening and met with President Emile Lahoud in the presence of the Syrian commander in Lebanon, General Ibrahim Safi, and the head of the Security and Intelligence Department, Major General Ghazi Kanaan.
This comes as Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is making a last-ditch effort to persuade his ally, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, to cease his campaign against President Emile Lahoud. In recent days, Lahoud has become increasingly firm in his response to Jumblatt’s statements, with a deputy close to the presidential palace telling Al-Qabas that Lahoud categorically refuses to “coexist” with the current situation.
The deputy confirmed that Lahoud cannot “accept the current duality practiced by Jumblatt,” denying that the president has considered “withdrawing” as some sources have suggested, or that he is planning to boycott Jumblatt’s ministers.
