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BEIRUT: Lebanon's opposition has agreed to a proposed government line-up, Hezbollah said on Saturday, paving the way to the end of five months of tortuous negotiations following a June general election.
Hezbollah, which heads an alliance of parties supported by Syria and Iran, said in a statement that its leadership, including the head of the militant party Hassan Nasrallah, met late on Friday and agreed to join the national unity government proposed by prime minister-designate Saad Hariri.
"Those who took part in the meeting agreed to join a national unity government based on the agreements reached during negotiations," the statement said.
Hariri, whose Western- and Saudi-backed coalition won the June vote, has struggled since then to bridge differences between his own bloc and the opposition, led by the Shiite Hezbollah.
The opposition alliance accuses the majority of trying to rule unilaterally, while Hariri's parliamentary majority charges that its opponents want to impose their demands on the new government.
One major point of contention has been the inability to agree on the distribution of portfolios and choice of ministers.
The stalemate has been widely blamed on tension between the two camps' regional backers, Syria and Saudi Arabia.
Both countries, however, recently buried the hatchet over Lebanon and called jointly for the formation of a new cabinet.
Syria was the powerbroker in neighbouring Lebanon for nearly 30 years until the 2005 murder of Hariri's father, Rafiq Hariri, who was close to the Saudi monarchy.
Western countries, as well as the United Nations, voiced concerns over the deadlock which they feared could affect the Lebanese economy and lead to a security breakdown.
- AFP/yb
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