BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's deeply divided political elite broke off a key national dialogue Tuesday after Druze leader Walid Jumblatt launched an outspoken attack in Washington on pro-Damascus coalition partner Hezbollah and President Emile Lahoud.

"Sessions have been suspended until next week to allow time for additional contacts and await the return from abroad of MP Walid Jumblatt," said MP Elie Skaf, the representative of Lebanon's Greek Catholic community at the conference, according to the official ANI news agency.

The national dialogue, which opened Thursday to plaudits from UN chief Kofi Annan, had been due to last a week.

Jumblatt's comments ahead of talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington Monday had dominated the conference before its adjournment, Lebanese newspapers reported.

The Druze leader had renewed calls for the immediate departure from office of the pro-Syrian president, whose term of office was controversially extended with Damascus's blessing in 2004, as well as the disarmament of Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Jumblatt is a key figure in the anti-Syrian alliance that has controlled parliament and led the government since elections last year that were the first in three decades free of the presence of Syrian troops.

The conference's official spokesman -- parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a pro-Syrian Shiite -- denied that it had been Jumblatt's comments that had prompted the adjournment and insisted the talks were making progress.

"These comments are nothing new and are not the reason for the delay," said Berri. "Some parties asked for a pause so they could consult with their leaders before taking definitive decisions.

"This delay does not imply any breakdown in the conference -- we're simply taking some time out for reflexion in order to reach an agreement."

The leader of the pro-government bloc in parliament, Sunni politician Saad Hariri, also denied any setback in the talks. "As you will see, we are going to reach an agreement," he insisted.

But Hezbollah's Al-Manar television said the Druze leader's outspoken comments had been a factor in the conference's adjournment.

"It seems that Jumblatt's comments have had an impact on the meeting, forcing a reaction from those who are opposed to him," the channel reported.

The week-long national dialogue conference had been intended to address divisive issues such as the disarmament of both Hezbollah and Palestinian militants in accordance with Resolution 1559 passed by the UN Security Council in 2004 and the future of the pro-Syrian president.

Beirut newspapers had already predicted a breakdown in the talks in their Tuesday editions following the Druze leader's comments.

"Jumblatt's remarks are an embarrassment to his allies and raise questions about the usefulness of continuing the discussions," said the As-Safir daily.

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