By Tom Perry
BEIRUT (Reuters) - An Arab League delegation is expected toconclude a deal to end fighting in Lebanon on Thursday afterthe U.S.-backed government backed down in its conflict withHezbollah.
The delegation is expected to announce talks in Qatar toresolve a broader political conflict that has paralysed Lebanonfor 18 months and is regarded as a proxy struggle between theUnited States and Iran, which supports the Hezbollah movement.
"We want to return to a settlement which leads, in the end,to there being neither victor nor vanquished," Sheikh NaimKassem, Hezbollah's deputy leader, said.
He was speaking to reporters after meeting the delegation,which was due to hold a news conference at 3.30 p.m. (1:30 p.m.British time).
Washington's allies in Lebanon's ruling coalition weredealt a severe blow by Hezbollah in fighting that was triggeredby government decisions last week. The Shi'ite movement saidthese decisions were a declaration of war.
The government cancelled the measures on Wednesday, meetingone of Hezbollah's demands and easing tension in Beirut.
Hezbollah briefly controlled the Muslim areas of thecapital during the conflict that triggered fighting with Sunniand Druze government supporters.
At least 81 people were killed in the worst fighting amongLebanese since the 1975-90 civil war.
Hezbollah, which leads an alliance of opposition factions,said the cancellation of the decisions was a "natural way out"of the crisis.
Hezbollah had demanded the ruling coalition agree to talksas a condition for ending a civil disobedience campaign whichhas included roadblocks that have paralysed the capital.
The roadblocks, including barricades on the airport road,are expected to be lifted on Thursday after the Arab Leaguedelegation, headed by the prime minister of Qatar, announcesagreement on the talks to be held in Doha.
REGIONAL STRUGGLE
The talks will tackle how to share power in the cabinet andthe details of a new parliamentary election law. It is notclear when they will begin. The row has paralysed much ofgovernment and left Lebanon with no president since November.
The dispute is regarded as a regional struggle forinfluence between Syria, which backs the opposition, and SaudiArabia, which supports the ruling coalition. Any deal wouldresult in army commander General Michel Suleiman being electedpresident.
The United States has blamed the trouble in Lebanon onIran, Syria and Hezbollah, a political movement with aguerrilla army.
Iran blames the United States for the violence whicherupted after government action to outlaw a communicationsnetwork vital to Hezbollah's military and security wings.
The ruling coalition accuses the opposition of trying torestore Syrian control of Lebanon and secure a strongerfoothold for Iran in the country.
Syria dominated Lebanon until 2005, when the assassinationof statesman Rafik al-Hariri triggered international pressurethat forced it to end its military presence after nearly threedecades and plunged Lebanon into crisis.
(Additional reporting by Laila Bassam and Nadim Ladki;Editing by Robert Woodward)
