An agreement in Doha, Qatar has been signed among Lebanon's political leaders. UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon has welcomed the agreement and hopes it will be the start of "a lasting period of national reconciliation." The Security Council also supports the agreement and the "decision to continue the national dialogue on ways to reinforce the authority of the State over all its territory." Under the agreement, a new president will be chosen and there will be a national unity cabinet. Reuters has reported some of the facts of the agreement, which was reached after six days of talks, which were initiated after disastrous fighting that led to 81 people killed. Reuters has also reported that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice believes Hezbollah was weakened by the fighting in Lebanon because now Hezbollah has shown the world that is not a resistance movement but a militia that "decided to turn its guns on its own people." On the other hand, according to the agreement, Hezbollah now has veto power in the cabinet. A good description of the anatomy of the agreement can be found in an article by David Schenker, who argues that Hezbollah's "modus operandi of using its military power to wrest concessions from the government was validated." Meanwhile, Israel and Syria have announced that they were also negotiating peace. According to Ethan Bronner of the New York Times, "A real peace treaty with Syria would bring Israel significant advantages in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories." Iran, always cited as the main supporter of Hezbollah, has praised the Agreement reached in Doha. Tehran Times has quoted the Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman as saying that “the deal is the outcome of attempts made by Lebanon's friendly countries and is a clear example of regional unity.”
Regarding the previous post, President Bush has now also officially apologized to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the actions of the sniper, who used the Quran for target practice.
