But so far thick clouds prevail, seemingly blacking out any possible consensus on a new Lebanese president who would enjoy the support of the country's pro-Western majority and the consent of the pro-Syrian opposition, led by the Iran- and Syria-supported Shiite radical group Hezbollah.

"Usually in the history of the Lebanese presidential elections the consensus comes at the last 72 hours of the deadline," political analyst Fares Khassan said.

"But in this election, anything is possible and the dark scenarios are now prevailing," he said.

Failure to elect a president by November 24 when the term of current pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud ends could result in a power vacuum, the formation of two rival administrations, leading to an era worse than that of the 1975-1990 civil war.

This week Western diplomatic efforts were increased to prevent this tragedy from taking place.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon concluded a visit to Lebanon on Friday, warning that the country stood "at a critical crossroads."

Speaking at a press conference at Beirut airport after separate meetings with leaders of opposing Lebanese factions, Ban said "we will respect and support any candidate, any president who will be elected in accordance to constitutional procedures."

France, Lebanon's former colonial power, is along with Italy leading attempts at mediation to resolve the political crisis.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Tuesday launched his fifth visit in recent months in a fresh bid to break the political impasse, but so far has been unsuccessful and promised to come back to Lebanon for the November 21 parliamentary session.

Political sources in Lebanon further said the intensified French initiative was coordinated between US President George W Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at a meeting in Washington last week.

Despite the intense diplomacy, tensions mounted between the Western-backed ruling majority and the opposition, each side accusing the other of treachery.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah recently described the pro- Western government of Prime Minister Fouad Seniora as a bunch of "thieves and murderers."

The government and the opposition have failed in three attempts since September to reach a compromise, and ordinary Lebanese are fearing that the feuding parties would take "unilateral action" if no president is elected by the night of November 23.

Leading members of the anti-Syrian governing coalition have said their members of parliament, who have a slim parliamentary majority, have the right to gather in Lahoud's final 10 days in power to elect a president without the usual two-thirds quorum.

Hezbollah ominously has said it would consider such a move "a coup." -DPA