Factions from across Lebanon's political spectrum gave their support on Friday to a proposal from France to host informal fence-mending talks.
Both the Future Movement of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and Hizbullah welcomed the new French proposal.
A Future Movement official told AFP that the group "welcomes the initiative" to try to broker an end to a political crisis that has paralysed government legislation for nearly seven months. "We are absolutely ready to respond positively to the initiative, once it has been formally made," the official said.
The main Christian leader of the ruling coalition, Samir Geagea, told AFP his camp has long been calling for a return to the roundtable talks.
On his part, Hizbullah MP Hassan Hobballah told AFP: "We will deal positively with any initative from any friendly or brotherly state which will attempt to help Lebanon out of its crisis." But he reiterated Hizbullah's demand that "any solution be based on guaranteed, real and effective participation of the political groups in Lebanon's political decision-making."
An official from the Shiite movement Amal, another pillar of the opposition, said: "We will deal positively with the proposal."
The French foreign ministry stressed earlier Friday that the proposal to convene talks in late June was merely intended to break the ice between the rival factions. "This is not intended as a substitute for intra-Lebanese dialogue, nor is it a question of organising a new international conference," a ministry spokesman said. "The meeting's only aim is to help the Lebanese come together."
