Rival Lebanese leaders on Monday debated Hezbollah demands for a national unity government to try to avert a crisis that could trigger chaos less than three months after a devastating war with Israel.

Anti-Syrian majority leaders sat down with pro-Syrian Hezbollah representatives and their allies in the parliament building in central Beirut for "national consultations" set to continue throughout this week.

The United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Nations all backed Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's call for the talks. Washington last week accused Syria, Iran and their ally Hezbollah of working to topple Siniora's government.

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Damascus and Tehran denied the charge.

Hezbollah, popular among the Shi'ite Muslims who make up Lebanon's largest community, has given the anti-Syrian majority until mid-November to agree to a unity government or face street protests demanding new elections.

Demonstrations and counter-demonstrations could degenerate into violence and instability that would cripple prospects for postwar recovery.

Political sources close to the talks said there appeared to be little chance of an agreement as intense contacts over the past few days had failed to bridge the gaps between the camps.

They said the talks would focus on a possible compromise to expand the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Hezbollah has led calls for a more representative government, with more opposition members, after what it saw as its victory in its war with Israel in July and August.

Anti-Syrian leaders have said they are willing to consider adding representatives of Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, to Siniora's Western-backed government.

But they oppose forming a new government or giving their opponents one third of the seats in Siniora's cabinet. Such a proportion could block decisions or bring down the government by resigning.

Saad al-Hariri, leader of the majority coalition in parliament, told LBC television on Sunday night he was waiting to hear what reasons there could be for changing the government.

"We want to know what is this government, which took 99 percent of its decisions by consensus, guilty of. Why do they want a third (of the seats) in a government whose decisions are by consensus and unanimous?" Hariri said.

Aoun, once a bitter foe of Damascus, has allied with Hezbollah in opposing the policies of the anti-Syrian majority, who kept him out of the government although he won elections in the Christian heartland.

Hezbollah and the Amal movement led by Berri have five ministers in Siniora's cabinet. Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud has one, while Aoun is not represented.

Except for Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, all the leaders attended the talks, including Hariri and his main allies Walid Jumblatt, a Druze, and Samir Geagea, a Maronite Christian.

Hezbollah was represented by the head of its parliamentary bloc Mohammad Raad, because of concerns over Nasrallah's security following Israeli threats to assassinate him.

Hezbollah accuses the anti-Syrian coalition of failing to back it during the war and of supporting U.S. and Israeli demands for the disarmament of its Shi'ite Muslim guerrillas.

The coalition blames Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into a disastrous war at the behest of its Syrian and Iranian allies.