Deal to defuse Lebanon crisis unveiled

Beirut: An Arab mediator says Hezbollah has agreed to hold talks with the Lebanese government and remove a roadblock that has shut down the Beirut airport for a week after the Cabinet reversed measures to rein in the Shiite militant group.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, the head of an Arab League mediation team in Lebanon, has said Thursday the feuding factions have reached a deal to hold a dialogue in Qatar on Friday.

The deal comes after the government has rescinded two moves against Hezbollah that sparked the worst violence since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. The government has backed down from decisions to remove the airport security chief for alleged ties to Hezbollah and to declare the militants' private telephone network illegal.