UN council calls for talks to avert Lebanon crisis

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 13 (Reuters) The UN Security Council hsa urged all Lebanese political parties to enter into talks to prevent a further deterioration of the political crisis there.

A statement approved unanimously by the 15-nation council reaffirmed the U.N. body's ''full support for the legitimate and democratically elected government of Lebanon'' and condemned any effort to destabilize the country.

Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition has brought hundreds of thousands of protesters into the streets to press for a national unity government that would give it veto power in the Cabinet. The opposition calls the Western-backed government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora illegitimate.

But parliamentary majority leaders who control the Cabinet are refusing to give in to opposition demands, saying that would lead to greater Syrian and Iranian influence in the government.

The government says the opposition is trying to undermine it to derail creation of a special international court that would try suspects implicated in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri -- a killing anti-Syrian officials blame on Damascus. Syria denies any involvement.

The council statement also expressed ''deep concern'' at unverified reports that weapons were being smuggled into southern Lebanon from Syria, in violation of a UN arms ban.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan reported December. 1 that he was receiving reports, which he could not verify, of illegal arms smuggling into Lebanon despite Lebanon's deployment of 8,000 troops along its border with Syria.

Security Council resolutions have called on Lebanon to disarm all militias on its soil, including Hezbollah guerrillas, and banned all unauthorized arms in Lebanon.

Yesterday's council statement invited Annan to assess Lebanon's border monitoring effort and report back to the council with recommendations.

The statement also invited U.N. member-states to consider providing aid to the Lebanese government to help it improve its border security.

REUTERS DKS PM0651