Turkey, Qatar quit Lebanon talks

Turkey and Qatar say that they have quit efforts to mediate in Lebanon’s political crisis after two days of talks with the country’s rival parties.

“Due to some reservations they decided to stop their efforts in Lebanon at this time and leave Beirut for more consultations with their leadership,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jaber al-Thani and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in a joint statement before leaving Beirut on Thursday morning.

Ankara and Doha quit their efforts after Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud Faisal said on Tuesday that his country has abandoned mediation efforts in Lebanon, describing the situation as “dangerous.”

Lebanon is grappled with its worst political crisis since 2008, over tensions provoked by the US-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, whose prosecutor’s indictment on former prime minister Rafiq Hariri’s 2005 assassination was submitted on Monday.

The country’s national unity government collapsed last week after Hezbollah and its allies pulled their 10 ministers from cabinet and one close to the president also announced his resignation.

Hezbollah has for months demanded that Lebanon reject the US-backed STL, arguing that the tribunal is a conspiracy by the United States and Israel.