Hamadeh accuses Hezbollah of trying to scuttle League deal to solve crisis

Beirut: A Lebanese minister accused Hezbollah yesterday of trying to scuttle a deal brokered by the Arab League to resolve Lebanon's deepening political crisis.

Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh lashed out at Hezbollah as it threatened to gradually escalate its protests aimed at bringing down the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Hezbollah and its allies have demanded a veto-wielding share in a new Cabinet. Their supporters have held sit-ins and street protests in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, since December 1, in a bid to force Siniora to resign.

"Of course, there is a chance for an agreement if the parties move toward a compromise," Hamadeh said.

"But apparently Hezbollah is setting conditions that are still far from what [Arab League chief] Amr Mousa has proposed to solve the crisis."

"Which means that the political deadlock is still there," Hamadeh said. "We will not accept Hezbollah's conditions for a one third-plus one. Only Mousa's proposal is acceptable." After two days of marathon talks with rival Lebanese factions, Mousa announced on Thursday that the government and opposition have agreed on a national unity Cabinet that would make major decisions only by consensus. Mousa said the parties had agreed on a formula that would give the anti-Syrian allies less than two-thirds of the Cabinet and leave the opposition short of its demand for just over one-third. A neutral cabinet minister would maintain the balance between the rival sides.

But the Arab League head said additional negotiations are needed for a deal, and he might return to Lebanon in the coming days.

Admission: Group wants more power to avoid being disarmed

Hezbollah is pushing for more power in a new Lebanese Cabinet partly to avoid being disarmed by any future government, a senior official in the group said.

The remarks on Friday by Mahmoud Komati, deputy head of Hezbollah's political bureau, were the first time the group has publicly acknowledged a direct link between weapons possession and its drive for more power. Komati said Hezbollah started asking for greater share in the government only after the July-August war with Israel and that one of the key reasons was to prevent the pro-US government from forcing it to disarm.