A leading member of the Lebanese opposition has rejected the president's call for dialogue to resolve the political turmoil gripping the country.
President Emile Lahoud appealed for an immediate dialogue between Lebanon's anti-Syrian opposition and pro-government factions.
But Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said Mr Lahoud was too closely tied to Syria.
Mr Lahoud's call came after a car bomb in a predominantly Christian suburb in the capital Beirut injured 11 people.
It is not clear who the target was. But the opposition says Damascus supporters are keen to stir unrest to justify the presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon.
"[President] Lahoud calls on the sides... to live up to their historic responsibilities to protect the higher interests of Lebanon"
The opposition has blamed Syria for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a car bomb on 14 February in Beirut.
Damascus has denied the accusations.
Lebanon has been in a state of turmoil since then and Syrian troops have begun pulling back to the east of Lebanon after intense international pressure, says the BBC's Kim Ghattas in Beirut.
Lahoud 'accused'
Hours after the latest car bombing, President Lahoud's office issued a statement calling for talk.
"[President] Lahoud calls on the sides... to live up to their historic responsibilities to protect the higher interests of Lebanon at this sensitive stage by opening an immediate and direct dialogue to lay out all the outstanding problems and reach a consensus in the interest of Lebanon," it said.
But Walid Jumblatt, leader of Lebanon's most powerful Druze clan, turned down the offer.
"Lahoud today invites us to dialogue as though he is an independent when he is accused," Reuters quoted him as saying.
In a sign of the deepening crisis, President Lahoud cancelled a trip to Algeria to attend a two-day Arab summit starting on Tuesday "because of the situation" in the country.
Tensions have been high between the anti-Syrian and the loyalist camp, with several incidents over the last few weeks involving pro-Syrian demonstrators beating up or shooting anti-Syrian protestors.
Syrian workers in Lebanon have also been attacked by anti-Syrian gangs.
The violence has been contained until now, but the latest explosion is a reminder of how things might develop, says our Beirut correspondent.
The midnight (2200 GMT Friday) blast took place in the northern suburb of New Jdeideh, a part-residential, part-commercial area.
It created a two-metre deep crater, wrecked cars and blew off the front of nearby buildings.
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