Lebanon, Hezbollah Agree on Nat'l Unity

By Sam F. Ghattas

Associated Press Writer

December 14, 2006

CBNNews.com - BEIRUT, Lebanon - The government and opposition have agreed on a national unity Cabinet in which major decisions could be made only by consensus, the head of the Arab League said Thursday in a major step toward ending Lebanon's political crisis.

A new Cabinet is the key demand of the Hezbollah-led opposition, whose thousands of supporters have staged mass protests and daily sit-ins since Dec. 1, forcing Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to live in his office complex in central Beirut, surrounded by security forces and barbed wire.

Arab League chief Amr Moussa told reporters that more talks are required to conclude the deal, and he might return to Lebanon in the coming days.

The Syrian and Iranian-backed Hezbollah has demanded a veto-wielding one third of the Cabinet plus one seat. Saniora, who is backed by the United States and Europe, has rejected the demand and continued to convene meetings of the Cabinet, from which six Hezbollah ministers resigned last month.

Moussa said the parties had agreed on a formula that would give the anti-Syrian allies less than two-thirds of the Cabinet and leave the opposition short of its demand for just over one third. A neutral Cabinet minister would hold the balance.

"We want to reach a formula of no victor, no vanquished. a win-win situation," Moussa said.

A Sudanese presidential envoy, Mustafa Osman Ismail, indicated the outstanding point of contention is over who will be the neutral minister.

"The contacts will decide who he will be," said Ismail, whose country holds the chairmanship of the Arab Summit. He added there were "difficulties and obstacles" in the path of a final agreement.

Moussa called on all the parties to defuse the tension and expressed hope that the remaining issues could be resolved in the next two weeks.

"Progress is clear and consensus is rising. Please be patient a bit longer," he said. "We hope to finish in the next two weeks or at the end of the month."

Ismail said he did not expect an escalation in street protests, but he doubted that the sit-ins paralyzing the city center would end soon.

Translate Page