Arab League foreign ministers have backed Lebanon's army chief, Gen Michel Suleiman, as the next president of the politically divided country.

The move was agreed at a consultative meeting in Egypt's capital, Cairo.

It comes ahead of Sunday's crisis talks of the 22-member body, called to deal with Lebanon's political impasse.

The dispute between the Western-backed government and opposition supported by Syria and Iran has left Lebanon without a president since 23 November.

A parliamentary session to elect a president was postponed for the 11th time on 28 December, and is now due to begin on 12 January.

Three-stage plan

"The ministers welcome favourably the consensus around Michel Suleiman as a candidate for the presidency and call for his immediate election," Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa said after the consultative meeting in Cairo.

He said that Syria - which backs Lebanese opposition group Hezbollah - had supported the move.

Hezbollah wants the power of veto over key decisions

Mousa said the ministers had also agreed on a three-stage plan to be adopted on Sunday.

It envisages the election of a president, the formation of a national unity government and the adoption of a new electoral law.

Under the plan, the new president would have powers to decide whether or not to approve government decisions.

The Lebanese government and opposition agree that the next president, traditionally a Maronite Christian and elected by parliament, should be Gen Suleiman.

But they disagree over the shape of a future government.

On Friday, Hezbollah said it would not allow a president to be elected unless it received one third of the cabinet seats.

This would give Hezbollah and its allies a veto over key decisions.

The government proposes reforming the cabinet to give the new president a casting vote.

The wider political crisis has paralysed the government and parliament for more than a year and spilled over into armed clashes and political assassinations.

PHOTO CAPTION 

Lebanese army commander General Michel Suleiman. [Reuters]

BBC