BEIRUT: Lebanon's opposition has agreed to a proposed government line-up, Hezbollah said on Saturday, paving the way to the end of five months of tortuous negotiations following a June general election.

Hezbollah, which heads an alliance of parties supported by Syria and Iran, said in a statement that its leadership, including the head of the militant party Hassan Nasrallah, met late on Friday and agreed to join the national unity government proposed by prime minister-designate Saad Hariri.

"Those who took part in the meeting agreed to join a national unity government based on the agreements reached during negotiations," the statement said.

"We hope that this step will be beneficial for Lebanon and its people," it added.

An official from Hariri's camp said they were awaiting official notification before announcing the new government, possibly on Saturday.

An official with the presidency told AFP that the head of state was also optimistic that the stalemate was over and an announcement was imminent.

The proposed 30-member cabinet calls for 15 seats for the majority alliance and 10 for the opposition. The remaining five posts would be appointed by President Michel Sleiman.

Hariri, whose Western and Saudi-backed coalition won the June vote, has struggled since June to bridge differences between his own bloc and the opposition, led by the Shiite Hezbollah.

The opposition alliance has accused the majority of trying to rule unilaterally, while Hariri's parliamentary majority charged that its opponents sought to impose their demands on the new government.

One major point of contention had been the inability to agree on the distribution of portfolios and choice of ministers.

The stalemate has been widely blamed on tension between the two camps' regional backers, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Both countries, however, recently buried the hatchet over Lebanon and called jointly for the formation of a cabinet.

Syria was the powerbroker in neighbouring Lebanon for nearly 30 years until the 2005 murder of Hariri's father, Rafiq Hariri, who was close to the Saudi monarchy.

Western countries, as well as the United Nations, had voiced concerns over the deadlock which they feared could affect the Lebanese economy and lead to a security breakdown.

A political crisis erupted in 2006 when all Shiite cabinet ministers resigned. It climaxed on May 7, 2008 when more than 100 people were killed in sectarian fighting in the worst bloodshed since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.

A Qatari-brokered deal led to the formation of a national unity government in which Hezbollah and its allies had veto power over key decisions.

But that cabinet has not met since the June 7 election. It is an acting government only and cannot make administrative appointments or decisions.