UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council urged rival parties in Lebanon to immediately stop fighting, reopen roads and start talking to resolve the country's biggest political crisis in nearly two decades.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told the UN Security Council that "Lebanon appears once again to be on the brink.
A 17-month power struggle between Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition backed by Syria and Iran for control of the government exploded into violence Wednesday.
The fighting was sparked by the government's announcement Tuesday that it would shut down a communications network Hezbollah has established which connects to a Syrian network as well as Hezbollah surveillance cameras at Beirut's airport.
Security Council members said in a press statement they were "deeply concerned by the current clashes and unrest in Lebanon, including the blocking of major roads at Beirut International Airport."
The council urged "all sides to exercise calm and restraint, and called for the immediate reopening of all roads." Members also "stressed the vital importance that all sides work together to resolve Lebanon's problems through peaceful dialogue."
Lebanon has been without a president since pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud's term ended Nov. 23 because the sharply divided parliament has failed to elect a successor.
The council urged the rival parties "to urgently work together to elect a new president" in accordance with a plan adopted by Arab foreign ministers in Cairo in January.
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