Turkish leaders due to attend summit on Lebanese crisis today

Prime Minister Erdogan is meeting with Syrian President Assad and Qatar's emir today in Damascus to seek a solution to the crisis in Lebanon. Ankara accelerated its diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis after the Lebanese government collapsed last week following a Hezbollah walkout because it fears the instability could spread throughout an already fragile region. Turkey will hold a regional summit in Syria today in an attempt to help keep Lebanon's political crisis from spreading further, as Ankara increasingly seeks to assume a leadership role in the region. "We will exchange views with regional actors on what can be done and how we can all contribute to resolving the crisis," said a senior Foreign Ministry diplomat yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Turkey is in constant touch with other countries in the region. There are several options. We're in favor of a broad-based government in which all groups in Lebanon are represented." Erdogan will meet with Assad and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamas Bin Khalifah al-Thani in Damascus to discuss the latest developments, joined by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, diplomatic sources said. Referring to a French proposal to create an international contact group to negotiate a settlement, one diplomat said: "This is not our proposal (but) we don't rule it out. It's important who will be involved in this contact group. This is one of the ideas being discussed."