Word: berries
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...understatement to say that Nabih Berri is an unlikely figure to become America's go-to guy and negotiating partner in Lebanon. After all, the leader of the Shia Muslim Amal party became Speaker of the Lebanese parliament with Syria's forceful backing in 1992, a post he still holds. And Monday, he minced no words in calling Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's fly-by in Beirut a failure because she wasn't willing to support an immediate ceasefire...
...with Hizballah's leadership in hiding from Israeli air raids, Berri has become the acceptable face of Lebanese Shia. And since Hizballah has given him the authority to negotiate on its behalf, Berri has taken a surprising position. His people say that Berri - and by extension Hizballah - would be willing to discuss all of the U.S. proposals, including using a multinational force to help the Lebanese government take control of southern Lebanon...
...disagreement between the Speaker and Secretary Rice is procedural not substantive," said Ali Hamadan, a spokesman for Berri. "There are many points of agreement. But she wants to talk about how to bring stability to Lebanon and he's telling her, 'Let's go straight to a cease fire...
...long ago, Berri's role as Hizballah's representative at the bargaining table would have been unthinkable. Amal and Hizballah were once rivals for authority among Lebanon's Shia - their militias fought each other during the Civil War - but the two pro-Syrian groups have become close ever since the end of Syria's occupation of Lebanon last year. The fight with Israel has brought them even closer...
...mounted machine guns, landed on U.S. embassy grounds in Beirut at about 1 p.m. local time. She was driven in an armored SUV to the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Afterwards, another fast, bumpy ride took her to the home of the speaker of the parliament, Nabih Berri, a Shi'a leader. Outside Berri's residential office, Rice said, "I'm deeply concerned about the Lebanese people and what they are enduring. I'm concerned about the humanitarian situation. President Bush wanted me to make this the first stop...