Brussels - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Friday urged Lebanon's rival factions to restore the country's constitutional institutions and elect a widely-backed president after a deal brokered by Arab League mediators.

"I urge all the political forces of Lebanon to engage in this process of national dialogue and I wish them every success in achieving the best outcome for the people of Lebanon," Solana said in a statement issued in Brussels.

"The priority must be to restore Lebanon's constitutional institutions as quickly as possible and to elect a president who enjoys the full confidence of all the Lebanese people," he added.

Under mediation by the Arab League, the leaders of the rival Lebanese factions agreed Thursday to hold talks with the aim of electing a new president and forming a national unity government.

The sides were due to meet in Doha on Friday.

Recent infighting between the pro-Western government and Hezbollah-led opposition has killed more than 80 people. Lebanon has been without a president since Emile Lahoud stepped down in November 2007.

Solana, who last visited Lebanon in March, called Thursday's deal "the most balanced and fairest proposal on the table." (dpa)