Lebanese leaders will put off a presidential election set for Friday for a sixth time to allow for talks focusing on the army chief's nomination for a post now vacant for a week, political sources said on Thursday.
General Michel Suleiman is the latest nominee for the post at the heart of a power struggle between the Western-backed governing coalition and the opposition backed by Syria and led by Hezbollah.
Christian leader and Hezbollah ally Michel Aoun said on Thursday he would back Suleiman's candidacy under an initiative that would put him in office for two years, give the opposition veto power in cabinet and install a neutral prime minister.
The presidency has been vacant since November 23 when pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud's term ended. A series of parliamentary sessions called to elect his replacement have failed because there has been no agreement between the rivals on a candidate.
A Suleiman presidency would require an amendment to the constitution, which stops a senior public servant from running. "We hope that after the removal of the constitutional difficulties General Suleiman will be our candidate according to the initiative that we launched," said Aoun, a former general who has until now insisted he should take the post.
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