TEHRAN – Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani have expressed support for a recent deal between Lebanese political parties to end an 18-month crisis which pushed the country to the brink of a civil war.

The majority and the opposition factions clinched an agreement to form a national unity government. The parliament will convene on Sunday to elect army chief General Michel Suleiman president.
The deal was reached on Wednesday after five days of intense talks in Doha, brokered by Qatari emir and its prime minister to end a long lingering political deadlock that sparked deadly violence earlier this month leaving at least 67 dead.
In a phone conversation on Wednesday night, Iranian and Qatari leaders called on all Lebanese factions and Islamic states to strongly support the agreement in a bid to thwart some Western states’ efforts to interfere in Lebanon’s domestic affairs.
The agreement grants veto power to the opposition and provides for changes to the electoral law.
The changes will divide Lebanon into smaller-sized districts to apparently allow for better representation from the country’s various sects.
Lebanon’s enemies are not happy with the peace agreement and are seeking to further harm Lebanon, Ahmadinejad observed.
The deal will prepare the ground for Lebanon’s “reconstruction and development,” the two leaders stated.
Hamad expressed appreciation for Tehran’s efforts to establish peace and stability in the region.
Lebanon’s parliament has tried and failed 19 times to vote for a new president since Emile Lahoud’s term ended last November.
Despite general agreement on army chief General Michel Suleiman to fill the post, political factions continued to argue over the new cabinet’s make-up