France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner brought together rival Lebanese leaders for lunch at the French Embassy on Sunday, describing the meeting as a «success» and an encouraging sign, according to AP. The meeting came a day after Kouchner warned that Lebanon could face a new civil war if its feuding political chiefs failed to resolve the crisis threatening to tear the country apart. Kouchner's visit to Beirut is a follow-up to a conference hosted by France earlier this month to restart dialogue among Lebanon's 14 Christian and Muslim feuding factions. The French foreign minister said at the time that the conference «broke the ice» but failed to produce any breakthrough in the eight-month deadlock between the government and opposition. Kouchner spent the weekend meeting with Lebanese leaders from both camps, capping his efforts Sunday with the embassy luncheon that succeeded in bringing together rival leaders who have had no contact for months.
