'Odd couple' tries to avert war in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon — In an unusual collaboration that could complicate American policy in the region, Iran and Saudi Arabia have been mediating an agreement to end Lebanon's violent political crisis.

Leaders of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed party trying to overthrow Lebanon's government, have recently visited the Saudi king in Riyadh, according to officials who attended the meeting. And Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi chief security adviser, has met with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Larijani, in Riyadh and Tehran to try to stop Lebanon's slide into civil war.

"The only hope is for the Iranians and Saudis to go further in easing the situation and bringing people back to the negotiating table," said Radwan Sayyed, an adviser to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

The Saudi-Iranian efforts have put Washington in an awkward position, since it is trying to reduce Iran's regional influence. But since a stable Lebanon is also an American priority, American officials have watched the efforts without interfering.

There is a belief in Lebanon that if the Saudi-Iranian effort succeeds, the result will be short-term. There remains fear that Syria, which retains influence with Hezbollah and within Lebanon's security services, will work to scuttle any deal.

But Iran seems to be working in earnest. Members of Lebanon's governing party say the dynamics inside Iran, where the firebrand president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, appears to be losing political strength, have led Tehran to lean on Hezbollah.

One question is whether Hezbollah will do what Iran wants or will bend to the Syrians. Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, said in a speech last week that an agreement "between two countries or two governments does not bind the Lebanese, because the Lebanese must seek their own interests and not the interests of Saudi Arabia and Iran."

It has been nearly three months since Hezbollah began leading street protests aimed at bringing down the American-backed government here, and Lebanese political leaders have failed even to agree on the framework for talks.

There have been no direct meetings between the main political leaders in months. Many say they fear even more bloodshed if a deal is not struck by Feb. 14, the second anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.