Husein el-Huseini, former speaker of the Lebanese Parliament and driving force behind the 1989 Taif Agreement that ended the civil war in Lebanon, died Wednesday at the age of 85 after suffering health complications from severe flu.
«Husein el Huseini marked the legislative field in Lebanon for many years. He played a crucial role in the adoption of the Taif Agreement that ended the civil war in Lebanon,» interim Prime Minister Nayib Mikati recalled in a statement carried by NNA news agency.
El Husseini, who died at around 6:00 a.m. (local time), had been hospitalized since January 3 in intensive care in a private hospital in the capital, Beirut, after complications in his health due to a severe flu.
The former president of the Lebanese Parliament, in addition to presiding over the Taif Agreement, was co-founder of the Lebanese Shiite Amal party and succeeded Imam Musa al Sadr as leader of the party until 1980. The current Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, who succeeded El Husseini in 1992, has mourned his death.
«The country has just lost an invaluable man and legislator,» said Berri, who is also the leader of Amal. He added that «he dedicated his life to defending the country, its people and its national identity,» the daily ‘L’Orient Le Jour’ reported.
The burial of the former Lebanese president, for which three days of official mourning have been decreed in the country as of this Wednesday — flags will fly at half-mast — will take place next Thursday, January 12.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
