Hezbollah hails Saudi-Syrian summit

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Hezbollah and its opposition partners welcomed statements from the Saudi-Syrian summit on the need to form a unity government in Lebanon.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah met with Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, to discuss the ramifications of a recent summit between Saudi and Syrian leaders in Damascus.

King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia concluded a two-day visit to Damascus on Thursday, marking his first visit to Syria since taking power in 2005. Leaders from both countries addressed a wide range of issues, calling on Lebanon to form a unity government.

Nasrallah and Jumblatt welcomed the bilateral initiative, saying they agreed to move forward in a spirit of reconciliation aimed at forming a new government, Hezbollah's al-Manar news station reports.

Prime Minister-elect Saad Hariri led his March 14 slate to victory in June parliamentary elections, pledging to work quickly on a new government. Despite reaching a power-sharing agreement with the March 8 opposition, political defections and disputes over Cabinet portfolios derailed his initial efforts.

Both Hezbollah and the Progressive Socialist Party issued a statement pledging to work together "in order to achieve the joint objectives."