Arab ministers aim to prevent civil war

BEIRUT, Lebanon, May 14 (UPI) -- A group of Arab League ministers met Wednesday to help Lebanon avoid an all-out civil war, officials said.

The Financial Times reported that ministers from the Arab League met with representatives from the Lebanese government and Hezbollah.

Although the violence has subsided between the Lebanese government and the Hezbollah-led opposition, the militant group has maintained its blockade of the airport, the newspaper said.

Lebanese army Gen. Michel Suleiman has issued an appeal for unity among his officers, a move that reflects the country's diverse sectarian and political backgrounds.

"What has happened in the streets of Lebanon is a real civil war that no national army in the world can confront," he said.

Last week, pro-Syrian and pro-Iranian Hezbollah and its allies briefly took over parts of Beirut that were controlled by Sunni Muslim supporters of the pro-Western government, the newspaper said.

Afterward, the fighting spread to the mountains outside Beirut. More than 80 people were killed, the Times reported.