Arab League talks to defuse a political crisis in Lebanon have made progress but not reached a deal, League officials said on Wednesday.

Senior League official Hesham Youssef said the mediators had an "extremely positive" meeting on Tuesday with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, whose powerful group is leading opposition to the Beirut government.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa arrived in Beirut on Tuesday. He has met leaders on both sides and said after talks on Wednesday with Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun that there had been progress.

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Youssef, a senior aide to Moussa, said: "Responses are so far encouraging, but we haven't reached a conclusive outcome as of yet."

Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, and other opposition factions want veto power in the cabinet of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, who is supported by the United States.

The opposition have declared Siniora's government illegitimate and have been staging a round-the-clock protest in central Beirut since December 1 to press their demands.

The League is pushing for a deal based on a number of contentious issues, namely the shape of the cabinet, early presidential and parliamentary elections, and passage of a law setting up an international court to try suspected killers of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

"We are awaiting responses from key political forces," Youssef said. "We're hopeful that it will be a quick process because the situation is extremely tense. I am hopeful."

UN reiterates support for Lebanon's democratic government
The UN Security Council reiterated its strong support for Lebanon's democratically elected government and condemned any attempts to destabilize the country.

The council issued the presidential statement late Tuesday as Moussa began talks with Lebanese politicians in an attempt to defuse rising political and sectarian tensions that are threatening to tear the country apart.

"The Security Council calls upon all Lebanese political parties to show responsibility with a view to preventing, through dialogue, further deterioration of the situation in Lebanon," the statement said.

Lebanon's latest political crisis began after Siniora rejected demands by the militant Hezbollah organization, for a national unity government that would give the group and its pro-Syrian allies veto power in the Cabinet.

In response, six pro-Hezbollah ministers resigned from the Cabinet and the militant group has staged demonstrations in downtown Beirut since Dec. 1 to pressure the prime minister into quitting.

A key issue is the establishment of a UN-backed tribunal to prosecute those charged in the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, which killed 22 others.

Siniora's Cabinet reiterated its approval of the tribunal late Tuesday, but final approval must be given by Parliament whose speaker, Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri, contends the Cabinet's agreement is illegal because there were no Shiite ministers.

"The Security Council reiterates its full support for the legitimate and democratically elected government of Lebanon, calls for full respect for the democratic institutions of the country, in conformity with the constitution, and condemns any effort to destabilize Lebanon," the statement said.

The council also called for implementation of all UN resolutions, including one demanding the disarmament of all militias inside Lebanon - which would include Hezbollah's armed fighters.

It welcomed the maintenance of the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah since August 14 and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south for the first time in three decades, along with more than 10,000 UN peacekeepers.

While expressing deep concern at Israel's continuing violations of Lebanon's airspace, the council appealed to all parties to respect the cease-fire and the UN-drawn boundary between Israel and Lebanon, and "to refrain from any act of provocation."