Lebanese factions resolve 18 month crisis and endorse a Qatari sponsored agreement

Rival Lebanese factions reached an agreement to resolve their 18-month political crisis after five days of intensive talks in the Gulf state of Qatar, Lebanese Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said Wednesday. The agreement was a major triumph for Lebanon's Hizbullah-led opposition, as it met the side's two key demands - veto power in a new national unity government, and an electoral law that divides up Lebanon into smaller-sized districts, for better representation of the various sects. But the opposition was not gloating and Hamadeh said "there are no losers" in the agreement. "Lebanon is the winner," he told The Associated Press on the phone from Doha, the Qatari capital. The agreement meets two key opposition demands, a Cabinet of national unity with the opposition having a veto power, and an electoral law that divides up Lebanon into smaller-sized districts, for better representation of the various sects. Along with veto-power on government policies, the Syrian-backed opposition will get 11 seats in the Cabinet, while 16 seats would go to the U.S. and Western-backed parliament majority, and the remaining three would be distributed by the elected president, according to Hamadeh