Lebanese election seen to be delayed

By Nadim Ladki and Laila Bassam

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's parliament will delay electing a president next week, political sources said on Saturday, allowing more time for rival pro- and anti-Syrian groups to agree on a compromise candidate.

This would be the second postponement in electing a president, a step seen as vital to resolving an 11-month-old crisis pitting the anti-Syrian ruling majority against the opposition, led by pro-Syrian Hezbollah.

There are fears that if no president is elected before the term of pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud expires on November 23, Lebanon may end up with two rival governments and bloodshed. The political crisis is the worst since the 1975-1990 civil war.

The foreign ministers of France, Italy and Spain met several Lebanese leaders on Saturday in a flurry of diplomacy intended to nudge them towards a resolution of the presidential deadlock.

"The session will not be held on Tuesday in order to give the factions more time to agree on a compromise candidate. This signals a positive outcome," a Lebanese political source told Reuters. Another source confirmed it.

Opposition MPs boycotted parliament on September 25 to prevent a two-thirds quorum and thwart anti-Syrian factions, which have a razor-thin majority, from electing a new head of state.

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's backers, including the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, want to replace Lahoud with one of their own.

Syrian troops intervened in Lebanon to end its civil war and Damascus dominated Lebanese politics until the assassination of former premier Rafik al-Hariri in 2005 provoked a wave of mass anti-Syrian protests.