Chairman of Lebanon’s National Struggle Front [NSF] and progressive MP, Waleed Jumblatt, has expressed his appreciation towards President Michel Sleiman following his public pledge of support for civil marriage, claiming it represented a wider attempt at transcending sectarianism in religious circles. Writing in a weekly column for online newspaper el-Anba, Jumblatt claimed there was a need for an “unified Arab and international vision” to work towards political solutions, particularly in the wake of the Syrian conflict. Delaying solutions meant increasing Syrians’ suffering, he claimed. Also referring to the ongoing economic summit in Riyadh, the NSF figure called on the establishment of an “Arab common market” with the power to confront poverty and develop scientific research.