Lebanon Parliament Mired on Reform : Mideast: Stalled for the fifth day on power-sharing in a new Cabinet, deputies still have to tackle the more divisive issue of how long Syrian troops will remain.

Facing a worsening deadlock over establishing a new, unified government in Lebanon, the Lebanese Parliament delayed official sessions for the fifth day Tuesday while a committee of deputies attempted to work out a compromise political reform plan.

An official session scheduled for Tuesday night was abruptly canceled at mid-afternoon when the committee of 17 deputies failed to reach a consensus on what powers the president should hold and on the formation of a new Cabinet.

Failing to agree on the political reforms, the deputies have yet to even begin formal discussions on the more divisive issue of how long the 40,000 Syrian troops in Lebanon should remain.

The deadlock dimmed hopes for adoption of a new national reconciliation charter by the end of the week. But some sources close to the talks said the deputies are awaiting the outcome of behind-the-scenes diplomatic contacts in Beirut before concluding their own negotiations.

Representatives of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members have been asked by the Arab League committee hosting the talks to urge Maj. Gen. Michel Aoun, commander of the Christian Lebanese Forces, to accept an Arab League proposal that would give Syria up to two years to pull back into eastern Lebanon.

Unless Aoun backs away from his demand for a stepped-up withdrawal timetable, according to sources close to the negotiations, it is unlikely the Christian deputies will give in on their most important bargaining chip--political reforms that would give the Muslim majority in Lebanon a greater share of power in all levels of government.

A number of Muslim deputies have urged a speedy compromise on the political power-sharing plan and adoption of a reconciliation charter, leaving details of the Syrian withdrawal to be worked out by the new government once it is formed.

“The matter of the Syrian withdrawal really should be left to the national unity government,” said one deputy, who asked not to be identified.

In an interview with Orient Radio in Paris broadcast Tuesday night, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shareh refused to commit to a timetable for pulling out of Lebanon but pledged to support the Arab League peace plan.

“We don’t intend to stay in Lebanon forever,” he said. “Our hope is that the Lebanese deputies in Taif will reach a compromise which will allow for justice and equality between the Lebanese and bring back stability and unity to Lebanon.”

Once political reforms are adopted and a new government is seated, he said, “Syria . . . will support the new Cabinet and its authority over all Lebanese land.”

In two meetings Tuesday, the committee of nine Christian and eight Muslim deputies appointed by Parliament Speaker Hussein Husseini to resolve the deadlock failed to reach agreement on some of the most important points of the political reform plan. One of the most divisive issues remains the question of what powers the president, traditionally a Maronite Christian, would retain in a new reform government.

Christian legislators want to reserve the president’s role as commander in chief of the army, among other powers, while Muslims are pushing for most executive authority to be transferred to the Cabinet of ministers and the prime minister, traditionally a Sunni Muslim.

The committee also has failed to reach agreement on how the Cabinet should be appointed and whether the president or the prime minister should head the Cabinet, according to conference sources.