Lebanon deal fails to tackle conflict's causes: French FM

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

JERUSALEM (AFP) — French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in Jerusalem on Friday that the deal reached by Lebanon's rival factions fails to tackle the roots of the crisis, though it was a first step.

"It goes in the right direction, but none of the essence (of the crisis) appears to have been resolved. Yet, it is better to have a president and a (functioning) government," Kouchner told a news conference in Jerusalem.

"It would probably have been better to get to this point without Hezbollah having to seize half of Beirut in order to make themselves heard."

Kouchner is due to travel to Lebanon on Sunday, when parliament is due to elect a new president for the country, ending 18 months of political deadlock.

Turning to talks between Israel and...