Beirut (AsiaNews) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will try to mediate between the parties involved in the ongoing Lebanese political crisis, this according to reports coming from Beirut where the Turkish leader landed this morning on an official one-day visit.

During his stay in the Lebanese capital, Mr Erdogan is scheduled to meet Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, President Emile Lahoud, Shia Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri.

He will also visit the Turkish contingent stationed in southern Lebanon as part of the United Nations mission UNIFIL.

Erdogan, who in early December visited Iran, can play up his country’s good relations with all the countries involved in the crisis, starting with Syria. A Syrian-Turkish free-trade zone has been established starting this year.

However, the situation in Beirut is far from easy. Lebanese press sources exclude in fact any new immediate initiative to mediate by Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

Meanwhile, majority and opposition continue trading accusations which is spilling over into the Donors’ Conference scheduled to take place in Paris on January 25. The meeting should result in Lebanon getting much needed aid.

Prime Minister Siniora has called the Paris meeting a “necessity” to meet the needs of “all Lebanese”, but opposition leader Michel Aoun stated that the conference requires the prior backing of all opposition parties and should be preceded by the replacement of current economic ministers.

Threats, charges and countercharges continue over the demonstrations that have blocked downtown Beirut since December 1.

Some voices claim that Hezbollah is planning to escalate is protest action but nothing is known as to how it will go about doing it.

Opposition sources suggest that a meeting should take place for that purpose within 48 hours. Others suggest that the uncertainty surrounding the event itself is being used to destabilise the current government.

Whilst not revealing any card, Hezbollah’s second in command Naim Kassem in an interview with Hezbollah’s own al-Manar TV network said that the protest will be “peaceful”.

As to what the government might do, Siniora told a journalist, who asked him whether roads leading into Beirut will be closed, that “we are committed to keeping them open”.