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Deal Brings Lebanon Thaw, Promise to Talk

Posted May 15, 08 3:15 PM CDT in World 

(Newser) – As Beirut International Airport welcomed the first commercial flights in a week, the Arab League announced today a deal that would end the worst fighting in Lebanon since the civil war and lead to talks aimed at ending the 18-month political crisis, Reuters reports. The talks, set for tomorrow in Qatar, will continue “until agreement is reached," the Qatari prime minister said.

The deal appears to be along the lines of what Hezbollah, the militant opposition, wanted in the first place. The opening of the airport (and the withdrawal of militia fighters) comes after the US-backed government backed down from anti-Hezbollah legislation. The Syrian- and Iranian-backed political/military organization had also demanded talks of the type the Arab League is sponsoring.

Sources Reuters, Associated Press

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Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani.   (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Passengers of the first flight to land at Beirut International Airport after it was shut down for a week during unrest.   (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
A bulldozer removes a roadblock that had shut down a main road, linking the capital's main suburbs, for a week in the city of Beirut.   (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani, left, speaks during a join press conference with Arab league secretary Amr Moussa, right, in Beirut.   (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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Lebanon • Hezbollah • airport • civil war • Beirut • Qatar • Arab League


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