BEIRUT, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri renewed Wednesday calling for abolishing political sectarianism, although he said this "national goal" cannot be achieved within 20 years.

    "The ninth article of the constitution states that the parliament should form a committee to eliminate political sectarianism," said Berri in a press conference in the Parliament House in Beirut.

    He added that eliminating political sectarianism is a "national goal, which we should work on, as stated in the introduction of the constitution."

    The elimination begins with forming a national committee that studies the ways to rule out political sectarianism. The committee's recommendations are not the final decision but rather suggestions raised to the parliament and the cabinet, added Berri.

    "Forming the committee does not mean that sectarianism is eliminated. If I want to be optimistic, I would say that sectarianism would be eliminated in 20 years," he said.

    Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah announced last November a new political document which also called for abolishing political sectarianism in Lebanon.

    Last year, Lebanon witnessed a five-month-long absence of a cabinet after the June parliamentary election mainly due to the political sectarianism, as rival Western and Saudi-backed majority and Hezbollah-dominant opposition supported by Iran and Syria kept bargaining over portfolios.