LEBANON: Oops! They didn’t do it again

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To the surprise of no one, Lebanese politicians this week again failed to vote for a president. That makes it three months that the country has been without a president because of a political deadlock.

This time, representatives from the two feuding blocs sat around a table to discuss the distribution of power in the next government. They smiled for the cameras before closing the door to the press.

Finally, after long hours, the sponsor of the meeting, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, announced the failure of talks.

‘We want to save Lebanon, not to score points,’ he told reporters without hiding his irritation.

As Moussa left the country empty-handed, the speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, set March 11 as the new date for lawmakers to choose the nation’s new head of state.

But will the 15th attempt be the final one?

— Raed Rafei in Beirut