ARAB AFFAIRS - Dec 12 - Arab League Tries To End Lebanon Crisis.

Arab diplomacy to find a solution to Lebanon's political crisis intensifies as the head of the Arab League, AMoussa, joins another Arab envoy for mediation efforts in Beirut. The opposition, led by the pro-Syrian Shi'ite Hizbullah movement, and the Western-backed government of PM Fouad Siniora disagree on the progress that is being made. Hizbullah-led street protests and an ongoing sit-in have paralysed the heart of Beirut since the beginning of this month. Moussa said that he believed the Arab League could help resolve the crisis but confirmed that he had no comprehensive plan, just "ideas". Hizbullah has said that it has accepted the initiative in principle but the government has said that it had not seen any new proposals. The Arab League chief's second visit in as many weeks came as the cabinet referred to parliament a potentially inflammatory proposal for a UN tribunal to judge the suspects in the assassination of former PM Rafiq Hariri. The country's pro-Syrian Pres, Emile Lahoud, has refused to endorse the cabinet's decision, taken more than two weeks ago, to approve the UN draft for the tribunal. The Pres argues that the government lost its legitimacy when six pro-Syrian ministers, including all Shi'ite in the cabinet, resigned shortly before the vote on the tribunal. The government's anti-Syrian March 14 coalition holds a majority in parliament but the pro-Syrian speaker Nabih Berri refuses to convene the chamber. Berri was quoted by the an-Nahar newspaper as saying that he was concerned that opposition MPs might resign en masse. The anti-Syrian majority accuses the opposition of having engineered the political crisis to block the international tribunal. Hizbullah and its allies have said that they support the international tribunal but that they want to study the details. An ongoing UN investigation has implicated senior Syrian security officials and pro-Syrian Lebanese security chiefs in the assassination of Hariri and more than 20 others in February last year. Damascus denies any involvement. The opposition, consisting of Hizbullah, the Christian leader Michel Aoun's, Amal bloc, and various smaller pro-Syrian parties, is demanding a decisive say in the government. Failing that, it wants early general elections. The government has said that it is willing to discuss several formulas for the inclusion of the opposition that would give a swing vote to independents. As part of such a deal, the anti-Syrian majority is demanding early elections for Pres, who is chosen by Parliament. The March 14 movement also wants an agreement on the formation of the international tribunal and on an economic reform package that is to be presented to donor countries at a major January conference on debt relief in Paris. Hizbullah has lately stepped up its accusations that the government failed to support it during the war with Israel in July and August and that the anti-Syrian coalition is serving American and Israeli interests. Please update the Lebanon story to include that the cabinet now has sent the approval of the Hariri tribunal to Parliament. Here's a quote: The Council of Ministers unanimously decided to send the UN draft on the creation of an international court to try suspects in the assassination of Rafiq Hariri", Communications Minister Marwan Hamadeh told AFP after a meeting of the cabinet's remaining ministers.