This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7411835.stm
The article has changed 17 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| 'Deal agreed' on Lebanon crisis | 'Deal agreed' on Lebanon crisis |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A deal has been reached aimed at ending the political crisis in Lebanon, officials at talks in Qatar say. | A deal has been reached aimed at ending the political crisis in Lebanon, officials at talks in Qatar say. |
| Arab mediators have been engaged in five days of talks to try to reconcile the Western-backed Lebanese government and the Hezbollah-led opposition. | Arab mediators have been engaged in five days of talks to try to reconcile the Western-backed Lebanese government and the Hezbollah-led opposition. |
| Lebanon's deep political divisions have led to an 18-month crisis that has come close to sparking a new civil war. | Lebanon's deep political divisions have led to an 18-month crisis that has come close to sparking a new civil war. |
| The resulting deadlock in parliament has left Lebanon without a president since November. | The resulting deadlock in parliament has left Lebanon without a president since November. |
| Street battles | |
| The breakthrough came after both sides agreed on an electoral law for parliamentary elections next year and on a power-sharing cabinet that would allow a new president to be elected, delegates to the talks said. | |
| Opposition MP Ali Hasan Khalil said he expected a parliamentary vote to elect a president on Thursday or Friday. | Opposition MP Ali Hasan Khalil said he expected a parliamentary vote to elect a president on Thursday or Friday. |
| The rival groups had agreed last year on electing army chief Gen Michel Suleiman to succeed outgoing pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, but disagreement over the other issues delayed the vote. | |
| Lebanon has been in political crisis since late 2006 when the Hezbollah-led opposition left a national unity coalition cabinet, demanding more power and a veto over government decisions. | |
| The crisis exploded into street battles between armed supporters of the factions this month that left at least 65 people dead. | |
| Government attempts to outlaw Hezbollah's private telephone network and reassign Beirut airport's security chief triggered the worst violence since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. |