Lebanon's deputy parliament speaker sees promising signs in cabinet standoff

There are promising possibilities that could help end a deadlock over forming Lebanon's new cabinet, the deputy parliament speaker said on Wednesday after France backed a proposal to resolve the crisis. "There are promising possibilities that can be built on, but we have to wait a bit," Deputy Parliament Speaker Elie Ferzli said in televised comments.

He was also quoted by Lebanese broadcaster MTV as saying that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Shi'ite Muslim whose demand to choose the finance minister have been at the centre of the standoff, was "no longer pessimistic".