Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani said Wednesday that Lebanese rival leaders have agreed to elect a new president within 24 hours, local NBN TV reported.

Lebanese leaders reached an agreement in Doha talks on resolving the current political crisis, Sheikh Hamad was quoted as saying.

He announced that the rival leaders agreed to elect Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as a new president in the upcoming 24 hours, to form a government based on a 16-11-3 formula (16 for the majority, 11 for the opposition and 3 to be chosen by the president) and adopting 1960 electoral law.

The agreement called for the state control over all Lebanese areas, and the refrain by all groups from the use of arms to achieve political gains.

"Weapons and violence would not be used in political differences," Sheikh Hamad announced, adding that "the security and military control would be in the state hands to preserve coexistence among the Lebanese."

During the conference, Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri announced that the sit-in tent demonstration which has been set in downtown Beirut for 18 months, will be removed from Wednesday.

Lebanese rival leaders have been meeting since last Saturday in the Qatari capital city of Doha, aiming at solving the long ongoing political crisis in the country, which turned violent between pro-government and opposition supporters about two weeks ago.

Lebanon is facing the most complicated political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. Lebanese political rival groups were unable to achieve a breakthrough to elect a new president for the country since Nov. 24 last year when ex-president Emile Lahoud ended his term.

(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2008)