Doha Agreement

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The Doha Agreement was an agreement reached by rival Lebanese factions on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 in Doha, Qatar. This Agreement marks the end of an 18-month long political crisis in Lebanon.

1 Contents of the Agreement
2 Aftermath
3 Reactions
- 3.1 Outside Lebanon
4 References

[edit] Contents of the Agreement

[edit] Election of a new president

The parties firstly agreed to elect a new president withiin 24 hours. However, the date of the election of Michel Sleiman, the Army chief, as the next President of Lebanon was set on Sunday, May 25, 2008. The Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Hamad ibn Jaber Al Thani, was present at the electoral parliamentary session.

[edit] Electoral law

Further information: Electoral law of Lebanon

The parties agreed to a new electoral law. The new law will be similar that of 1960, with some amendments.

[edit] National unity government

It was agreed that that a national unity government will be formed. In the new cabinet, the parliamentary majority will have 16 ministers, the opposition, 11, and the president, 3.

[edit] Aftermath

The opposition ended its sit-in which begun on Friday, December 1, 2006 in Beirut.

[edit] Reactions

[edit] Outside Lebanon

The agreement was welcomed by France, with President Nicolas Sarkozy saying that it was "great success for Lebanon and all the Lebanese, whose courage and patience never failed despite the ordeals they have been through."^[1] French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said though the agreement failed to tackle the root of the political crisis, yet 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," he said.^[2]

The United States also praised the agreement. "The United States welcomes the agreement reached by Lebanese leaders in Doha, Qatar. We view this agreement as a positive step towards resolving the current crisis by electing a President, forming a new government, and addressing Lebanon’s electoral law, consistent with the Arab League initiative. The United States supports the government of Lebanon and its complete authority over the entire territory of the country," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters.^[3].

Germany, Iran^[4], Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the United Kingdom^[5] also welcomed the agreement.