The Lebanese cabinet crisis persists even though Hizb Allah and Amal, the two principal Shia political groups, have affirmed in a joint statement their commitment to a deal recently reached with Saad al-Hariri, the leader of the anti-Syian Future bloc, Aljazeera reports.The deal recognises Hizb Allah's armed resistance as legitimate as long as the Shebaa Farms remain occupied by Israel and Lebanese prisoners languish in Israeli jails.

The announcement was made on Friday after a meeting of the leaders of the two pro-Syrian Shia political groups at Ein Al-Tineh in Beirut, the Lebanese capital.Aljazeera reported quoting Hizb Allah and Amal leaders that they were now awaiting the translation of the accord into concrete action.The two Shia groups have been boycotting the cabinet for days now over differences with the Future bloc and its allies for their approach to the assassinations of anti-Syrian personalities, especially former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri. 

By Ayat Basma BEIRUT, Dec 30 (Reuters) - A year after he predicted a rash of political killings and upheaval, Lebanon's most famous clairvoyant will not tell a jittery public what 2006 holds when he makes his usual end-year television appearance. Thousands of Lebanese tune in every New Year's Eve to hear what Michel Hayek foresees, but the 38-year-old said he no longer wanted to be seen as the bearer of bad news.

"After all the clamour surrounding my 2005 predictions and the rumours that spread later in my name, I have decided not to announce my predictions for this year (2006)," Hayek told Reuters. "What has troubled me most are the rumours. I don't want to be the reason people are afraid to go to the grocer or send their children to school." A rumour spread by mobile phone text messages and attributed to Hayek predicted mass bombings would tear apart central Beirut earlier this month. So scared were Lebanese, whose nerves have been worn by a string of such attacks, that many shunned Christmas shopping and Sunday strolls to stay home. Hayek denies saying "something weird" would happen downtown that weekend, but many felt his predictions for 2005 had proved so uncannily accurate that any rumour was too scary to ignore.