Christian leader says Syria blocking Lebanon deal

BEIRUT, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Lebanon's main anti-Syrian Christian leader accused Syria and its allies on Wednesday of blocking a deal on a new president by threatening chaos if their preferred candidate was not elected.

"Syria and its allies have shut the door on consensus despite all our efforts," Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces group, told Reuters.

"The only actual remaining solution is for all deputies to go to Friday's session to elect a president," he said. "Let Syria and its allies agree on a certain candidate and we will agree on a candidate and go to parliament."

Many in Lebanon fear that failure to elect a consensus president will lead to rival administrations, one loyal to Syria and the other Western-backed, and spark violence.

The presidential standoff is the latest stage in Lebanon's worst internal crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Geagea's remarks appeared to indicate that Lebanon's political rivals remained deadlocked 48 hours before parliament is due to meet on Friday to elect a successor to pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whose term ends the same day.

The vote has been postponed four times to give French-led mediation efforts more time to push leaders of the Western-backed majority coalition and the Hezbollah-led opposition to agree on a compromise candidate.

A deal has so far proved elusive, despite comments on Tuesday night by pro-Syrian officials that progress was being made towards an agreement.

"We reject any foreign interference in Lebanese affairs. Syria's candidate for the presidency is the one the Lebanese reach consensus upon," Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said in Damascus.

CALL FOR COMPROMISE

Earlier on Wednesday one of Geagea's anti-Syrian allies, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, urged both sides to make concessions and warned of bloodshed if there was no deal. "My advice to everyone and to the Christians especially is to protect civil peace in Lebanon ... which requires everyone to make concessions," Jumblatt told As-Safir newspaper.

"The people won't be merciful to us and they won't forgive us over a single drop of blood that falls in the street. What is required of us is to get out of this dark tunnel quickly and any deal makes civil peace the winner," he said.

It was not clear if Jumblatt's call for all sides to compromise indicated any disagreements among the anti-Syrian coalition.

The opposition has said it would not go to parliament unless there is agreement on a single candidate. The ruling coalition holds a small majority but the opposition argues that the election requires a two-thirds quorum.

Geagea said chances were very bleak that a deal would be reached in the next 24 hours despite mediation efforts and French talks with Damascus.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has been in Beirut since Sunday on his sixth trip since taking office in May.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Chief of Staff, Claude Gueant, met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday and Sarkozy himself spoke to Assad by telephone.

Geagea said the majority would wait for "a few hours or a few days" before electing a new head of a state on its own if there was no vote on Friday. The opposition have said such a more would plunge Lebanon into choas. (Additional reporting by Yara Bayoumy, editing by Diana Abdallah)