Beirut (AsiaNews) – At the end of the fourth day of Lebanon's national dialogue conference, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir stressed the importance of Lebanese talking to Lebanese. "We all know that Lebanon won't get back on its feet if the Lebanese don't agree amongst themselves about their own and the country's best interest," he said in Bkerke as he blessed the recent reconciliation between Social Affairs Minister Nayla Mouawad and former Health Minister Suleiman Franjieh.

The 14 political leaders who are taking part in the National Dialogue Conference presided by National Assembly Speaker Nabih Berri discussed many issues. At the top of the list is the need "to disarm the Palestinians", implement the 1989 Taif agreement (which calls for normal diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria and the deployment of Lebanese troops in the southern part of the country), and find the right way to implement UN Resolution 1550 adopted on September 3, 2005. The latter criticised the extension of President Émile Lahoud's mandate till 2007, demanded the disarmament of Hezbollah, and called for the recognition of Lebanese sovereignty over the Shebaa farms now under Israeli occupation. The parties to the dialogue agreed that a special commission should deal with the issue of disarming militias.

In a statement made last night at the end of the discussions, Speaker Berri said he was confident that the dialogue was "underway between Lebanese was sincere, spontaneous and constructive, [and] for the first time, with no foreign interference".

He said he was satisfied with the tone of the dialogue and reiterated that all participants agreed on the main topics under discussion.

He called on everyone to stand together against the plans of Lebanon's enemies and insisted that the Shebaa farms must be liberated before Hezbollah is disarmed.

Optimistic but also prudent, Berri noted that "the dialogue has progressed quite considerably".

He did however criticised the position of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt who met US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Ms Rice has called for fresh, "quick and transparent" presidential elections and belittled the national dialogue.

Mr Berri added that "failure is impossible. We shall not go back before achieving results that can provide our children with a prosperous future".

Speaking to AsiaNews, Patriarch Sfeir called on the political leaders meeting in Beirut to think hard about Lebanon's future and urged them to overcome obstacles so as to lead the country out of its crisis.

In response to a question about the future president, the Patriarch was flexible. "He should be well-educated, transparent and young," the prelate said.

In a speech to a convention of Arab political parties currently underway in Damascus, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was very pessimistic about the outcome of Lebanon's national dialogue conference. He did however reiterate the need for friendly relations between Lebanon and Syria.

According to pro-government daily Techrine, Syrians are not very favourable to the dialogue underway—for many, it won't be going anywhere "because the fruit it will bear will be costly and of poor quality".

The paper was also highly critical of the absence of some important leaders like former minister Franjieh. "Lebanon's national dialogue cannot improve things unless relations between the peoples of Syria and Lebanon improve because when the two people are well, prosperity will return."

In a press release, Patriarch Sfeir condemned the attack in Nazareth's Basilica of the Annunciation calling it an "act against God and man".

Similarly, President Lahoud slammed the violence in the Nazareth church. In a telegram to Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas, he accused the government of Israel of being behind all these acts of violence.