BEIRUT — The Hezbollah-led opposition and U.S.-backed government reached a deal Thursday to end Lebanon’s worst violence since the 1975-90 civil war, now that the Cabinet has reversed measures aimed at reining in the Iranian-backed militants.
The feuding factions agreed to hold political talks in Qatar today that will lead to the election of Lebanon’s army chief, Gen. Michel Suleiman, as a compromise president, said Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, who headed an Arab League team that mediated the agreement.
Immediately after the deal was announced, the opposition cleared roadblocks along Beirut’s airport road that had stopped flights for a week.
“The parties pledge not to use weapons or violence again with the aim of scoring political gains,” Hamad said. “Both parties are willing to open a new chapter.”
