Nabih Berri, also a leader of the Syrian-backed opposition, indicated he would postpone for the 17th time a parliament session to elect a new president from Tuesday due to a lack of progress towards ending the crisis.

'There is nothing new to avoid a new postponement of the session on Tuesday, but we will exert every effort between now and Tuesday,' Berri said during a talkshow .

A delay would mean that there would be no Lebanese president to attend the March 29-30 Arab summit in Damascus. Lebanon has been without a president since Emile Lahoud's term ended in November.

Arab divisions over Lebanon have cast a shadow over the meeting with several key leaders expected to stay away, blaming Syria for blocking an election in Lebanon.

The crisis, Lebanon's worst since the 1975-90 civil war, has paralyzed the government and led to bouts of deadly sectarian violence.

It has also strained ties between Syria and regional Arab power Saudi Arabia, which back opposing sides in the conflict.

Speaking in a live interview with Lebanon's New TV, Berri said he would consult Arab and foreign leaders on his next steps if there were no breakthroughs at the Damascus summit.

"I will call (for a) dialogue to consult over (formation) of a national unity government and (drafting a parliamentary) election law," Berri said, adding that the law was the main sticking point between the two rival camps.

Berri chaired two rounds of talks between the ruling coalition and the opposition in 2006. Though progress was made on several points, the talks failed to settle all the differences and the rift has deepened considerably since.

The speaker said he would call on the 14 leaders who participated in the 2006 talks to meet again in April if there was no progress at the summit.

Lebanon is now in its fifth month without a president. The chairman of the parliament has postponed the election date for sixteen times.

In Lebanon, the parliament, which is made up of 128 elected representatives, meets to elect the president of the republic.

Lebanon's political scene has been divided into two camps since 2006: the opposition led by the Hezbollah militant movement, which is supported by Iran and Syria, and the majority, which is backed by the West and most Arab countries. The division started when six pro- Syrian ministers resigned from the government of Premier Fouad Seniora on November 26, 2006.

The prime minister has refused to acknowledge calls by the opposition to resign and has declared that he will do so only when a new president is elected. With both the opposition and the government being supported by opposing regional and international powers, no solution seems possible until these powers agree to a solution or compromise.

Lebanon is gripped by its worst internal crisis since the 1975- 1990 civil war with the rival political factions unable to elect a successor to president Emile Lahoud who stepped down at the end of his term in office in November 2007.

Political bickering between different parties has reached dangerous levels to the extent that there is a genuine fear of civil strife - especially since street fights are breaking out every now and then between supporters of various groups.

Berri on Friday reiterated that he would not call the House to convene in regular session as long as Seniora's government remains in office. 'The absence of any legitimate executive authority prevents the convening of Parliament in a lawmaking capacity,' a statement issued by Berri's media office said.

The statement came in responses to charges made by the ruling March 14 coalition one day before alleging that Berri was rejecting efforts to convene Parliament in a legislative capacity, thus preventing the House and its members from fulfilling their responsibilities.

The March 14 coalition also emphasized what it called its determination to restore power to the Parliament and announced that it would not tolerate the disruption of national institutions or the decline of the presidential position and 'would take all necessary constitutional and political steps to attain our objectives.

Saudi Arabia supports the Beirut governing coalition, which is backed by the United States and France, while Syria and its ally Iran back the opposition alliance led by Hezbollah.

The Lebanese rivals have agreed that army chief General Michel Suleiman should fill the presidency but his confirmation by parliament has been delayed by a dispute over the make-up of a cabinet to be formed after his election and the law governing a general election scheduled for 2009.

Parliament cannot convene to elect the president unless there is a deal between the rival camps that will secure a quorum for the vote.   -With Agencies