Lebanon PM, Hezbollah spar over failure

Lebanon's government and the opposition blamed each other Saturday for the failure of an Arab League initiative to resolve the country's political crisis.

U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, speaking in a televised address, accused his pro-Syrian rivals of "cutting all means of communication and direct dialogue." Nevertheless, he urged the opposition to return to the negotiating table.

A legislator from the Syrian and Iranian-backed Hezbollah blamed Saniora and his supporters for the failure of the Arab League initiative to break the political deadlock.

The head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, said his efforts to mediate between the rival Lebanese factions have not succeeded, though he did not rule out future negotiations. He warned the country was at "a dangerous crossroads."

Tensions among rival groups erupted when six pro-Hezbollah Cabinet ministers resigned last month after Saniora rejected their demand for a new national unity government which would give their camp veto power over major government decisions.

Supporters of the militant Hezbollah have been staging massive protests in downtown Beirut, a few yards from Saniora's office, to try to force him to resign. But the Western-backed premier refused to step down or to meet other Hezbollah demands. He and his anti-Syrian supporters call Hezbollah's campaign and the protests a Syrian-backed coup.

"Our hand will remain extended to everyone, but without compromising on legitimacy and (political) institutions," Saniora said.

Moussa urged leaders from both sides to avoid escalating tensions. He said four days of talks mediated by the Arab League had produced "a framework for understanding on sticking points."

"Therefore, solutions are there and the road is clear," he told reporters in the capital, Beirut, urging the rivals to resume talks.

Moussa managed to get pro-government and opposition parties to agree on the outlines of a national unity Cabinet in which major decisions could be taken only by consensus.

He also said the two sides agreed to the creation of an independent committee to study an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Many blame Syria for Hariri's assassination, but Damascus has denied the charge.

But the rival factions did not bridge other differences.

Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said the opposition now wants 11 seats on the Cabinet _ one more than Moussa's proposal called for and enough to give them veto power.

"I think Moussa's mediation needs to be accepted by the pro-government team to succeed," Hezbollah legislator Hussein Haj Hassan said. "This team has reneged on its promises regarding the national unity Cabinet and the international court."

Ahead of Moussa's visit, Hezbollah and its allies warned that they would press for early parliamentary elections after the New Year's holiday if the Arab League mediation failed.