The head of the Arab League met Lebanese leaders on Tuesday in an effort to mediate an end to a political standoff between the government and the Hezbollah-led opposition. Amr Moussa is meeting leaders from both sides to seek a way out of a crisis which some fear could turn violent in a country that has gone through two civil wars in the past 50 years. "I don't carry with me initiatives, but there are ideas that I hope to discuss," Moussa told reporters at Beirut airport. Asked if he was optimistic, he said: "There must always be hope." Moussa met Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, whose cabinet is supported by Washington, and Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, whose Shi'ite Amal Movement is part of the opposition and an ally of Damascus. A Sudanese Arab League envoy on Monday made little progress in bridging the gap between the government and the opposition, which is demanding veto power in the cabinet.
Parliamentary majority leaders who control the cabinet are refusing to give in. They say that doing so would lead to greater Syrian and Iranian influence in the Lebanese government.
Both countries back Hezbollah, which in turn has branded the cabinet a U.S. government in Lebanon.
"Hezbollah and the opposition are waiting for a few days for what the Arab effort will yield. But there is a feeling that matters will reach a dead end," analyst Rafik Nasrallah told Reuters.