Berri: Abdullah's Surgery Put Brakes on Solution to Lebanon Crisis

Speaker Nabih Berri said Saudi King Abdullah's back surgery in New York delayed a solution to the Lebanese crisis but did not obstruct the formulation of a settlement.

Berri made his remark to Ad-Diyar newspaper in remarks published Wednesday.

He also warned that some people are obstructing the solution.

Meanwhile, sources close to Berri said the calm political atmosphere indicates that the Lebanese crisis could be solved despite obstruction pressure.

After the resumption of normal political life and Abdullah's recovery "we could make progress and things could be solved," the sources told al-Liwaa daily.

They advised caution, however, because of what they said "pressure to obstruct a solution" to the deadlock.

The sources told the newspaper that Prime Minister Saad Hariri's trip to New York to visit Abdullah contributes to the Saudi-Syrian initiative aimed at ending the crisis.

Abdullah's illness "put the brakes on all issues," they said, adding that former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton's comments on the international tribunal's indictments delayed a solution.

"It is known by now that the U.S. administration favors a settlement after the release of the indictment and not before it," the sources added.