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Sat 12 Dec 2006Lebanon regime gets US boostLEBANON:Arab League secretary general Amr Mousa yesterday continued his effort to end the month-old crisis between the Lebanese government and opposition. After securing the support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on Thursday, Mr Moussa returned to Beirut.But as he attempted to finalise a deal to end the deadlock, Washington strengthened the government's hand vis-a-vis the opposition by announcing $500 million (€381 million) in aid for the country's security forces and police as part of a $1 billion package.