[Al Arabiya Latest] Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah on Monday acknowledged the defeat of his opposition alliance by a pro-Western coaltion in Lebanon's parliamentary elections as Western powers welcomed the news of the March 14 win. "We accept the official results in a sporting spirit," he said in a televised address a day after Lebanese turned out in masses to vote in the crucial elections.Nasrallah denied claims that his Shiite resistance group would use violence to force a win but stressed that the group's weapons and artillery were not up for discussion by the new parliament.
Nasrallah, appearing graceful in defeat, also congratulated his political rivals. "I would like to congratulate all those who won, those in the majority and those in the opposition," he said.
"We accept the fact that the competition won a majority while the opposition retained its presence in parliament," Nasrallah said.
Analysts and newspapers questioned whether rival factions would be able to form a unity government and ensure the nation, plagued for years by political and sectarian turmoil, is not plunged into renewed violence.
Some analysts expected lengthy horse-trading between and within rival blocs before the next cabinet is formed.
Saad Hariri, head of the March 14 camp, has previously said the opposition could join a unity government, but without the veto power it has demanded in the past--and achieved under a Qatari-mediated deal that followed an armed showdown in the streets of Beirut in May 2008.