Hamadeh Asks Fabius to Facilitate Suleiman Mission to Form 'Neutral Govt.'

MP Marwan Hamadeh on Thursday stressed to French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius “the need to respect the Baabda Declaration and facilitate President Michel Suleiman's mission to form a new neutral government that would prevent the sliding of the country towards further threats.”

During a meeting in Paris, Hamadeh and Fabius discussed “the situation in Lebanon in light of the latest developments, especially the assassination of Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan and the political and security repercussions that ensued,” according to a statement issued by the MP.

Talks tackled “the importance of preserving Lebanon's stability and the factors of this stability politically, economically and security-wise in light of the surrounding regional developments.”

Hasan and two other people were killed in a powerful car bombing in the Beirut district of Ashrafiyeh on Friday. More than 100 people were wounded in the attack which gutted two apartment blocs.

The opposition March 14 camp and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat accused Syria of the crime.

The opposition demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati's government in the wake of the crime, while the international community called for sparing the country any political vacuum that might undermine its stability.

On Wednesday, Fabius called on Lebanon "not to get caught up" in the Syrian crisis.

Also on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that any power vacuum in Lebanon could be “taken advantage of” by Syria.

"The Lebanese people deserve so much better. They deserve to live in peace and they deserve to have a government that reflects their aspirations, not acts as proxies and agents for outside forces," said Clinton.