Several MPs and politicians from the Western-backed ruling majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition said that negotiations on electing a new president were now focused on General Michel Sleiman, commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

"Both sides are working seriously to reach consensus on Michel Sleiman," said Elias Atallah, a deputy from the governing coalition.

Ammar Houry, an MP with the March 14 ruling bloc in parliament said the majority was willing to drop its opposition to Sleiman becoming president and for the constitution to be amended to that end in order to spare the country further unrest.

"We are willing to accept a historic compromise to end this constitutional void and to avoid the security risks ... and the regional storm that is brewing on the horizon," another senior March 14 official said on condition of anonymity.

According to Lebanon's constitution, senior public servants can seek the presidency only two years after resigning from their post and for that reason the constitution would need to be amended for Sleiman to be elected.

Hezbollah Waiting for Aoun's Approval

Mohammad Fneish, a Hezbollah MP and one of the ministers who resigned last year, said that the militant group's acceptance of Sleiman as president hinged on opposition leader and declared candidate Michel Aoun agreeing.

Simon Abiramia, an advisor to Aoun, said all scenarios were possible and that the situation could become clearer early next week.

"We must take into account realities on the ground and the red lines that we ourselves drew," Abiramia said. "That means maintaining civil peace and the unity of the country."

After five aborted attempts, parliament is scheduled to reconvene on Friday to pick a successor to Emile Lahoud, who left office last week with feuding politicians unable to agree on a consensus candidate to replace him.

But several officials said that the new session was unlikely to take place as more time was needed to finalise an accord on Sleiman, who has been meeting with the country's various religious and political leaders this week.

"If the session doesn't take place Friday, it could be Saturday, Sunday or in coming days," Atallah said.

Prostituting Lebanon's Constitution

But not everyone was cheering the choice of Sleiman to end the political deadlock that began last November after the opposition, which is backed by Syria and Iran, pulled its six members out of the cabinet in order to gain more representation in government.

"I am personally opposed to Sleiman's nomination as it would be against democratic principles," said Boutros Harb, an MP from the ruling coalition and a declared presidential candidate now apparently out of the running.

"I have nothing against him personally ... but his appointment would amount to prostituting the constitution once again."

He was referring to several amendments to the constitution in recent years, including a Syrian-inspired amendment in 2004 that extended Lahoud's six-year term of office for another three years.

Sleiman, 59, was appointed head of the army nine years ago with Syria's approval and is generally well respected among all the country's factions.

He is credited with keeping the army united despite the upheavals that have shaken Lebanon since the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country after a 29-year presence.

Five previous parliament sessions since September 24 to elect a successor to Lahoud have already been postponed amid warnings of civil strife and the possible formation of two parallel governments, as was the case at the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.

The crisis, the worst since the end of the war, is widely seen as an extension of the regional confrontation pitting the United States and its ally Saudi Arabia against Iran and Syria.

Source: Yahoo News, Ya Libnan

Tags: Constitution, FPM, Hezbollah, March 14 Alliance, Michel Aoun, Michel Suleiman, Opposition, Presidential Elections