Arab mediators seek to defuse Lebanon conflict

By Laila Bassam

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A high-level Arab League delegation starts a mediation mission in Beirut on Wednesday to try to pull Lebanon back from the brink of a new civil war.

The delegation will seek to defuse tension between the U.S.-backed governing coalition and Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which routed its rivals in the worst spate of violence since the 1975-90 civil war. At least 81 people have been killed.

"The Arab League mission opens a window for a solution," a senior Lebanese political source said. "It has specific steps that raise hopes of a compromise deal."

Arab foreign ministers had agreed to send the mission, to be led by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani and Arab League chief Amr Moussa, after Hezbollah briefly seized control of the Muslim part of Beirut before

handing it over to the army last week.

If it succeeds in easing tension, the Arab delegation is expected to invite the rival leaders to Qatar for talks aimed at resolving their protracted political conflict, the source said.

The broader political dispute revolves around how to share power in cabinet and a new parliamentary election law. The 18-month-long conflict -- a standoff between an anti-Syrian cabinet and opposition forces backed by Damascus -- has left

Lebanon without a president since November.