* Leaders fly to Qatar for crisis talks

* Jumblatt calls for concessions

* Syrian minister sees "real opportunity" for Lebanon

* Saudi Arabia states support for initiative

(Adds Siniora cancels Bush talks, leaders arrive in Qatar)

By Nadim Ladki

DOHA, May 16 (Reuters) - Rival Lebanese leaders arrived in Qatar on Friday for talks to end a protracted political conflict that has pushed the country to the brink of a new civil war.

One of the most influential members of the U.S-backed ruling coalition, which was dealt a military blow by Hezbollah in six days of fighting, called for concessions to avoid more conflict.

"Let us deal with matters calmly at the dialogue table. Each one of us and them must offer concessions to bury strife," Walid Jumblatt said on a tour of Druze villages where his followers this week battled the Iranian-backed Shi'ite Hezbollah.

"We are going to the dialogue with a great political wound," said Jumblatt, before flying to Doha with his allies and rivals.

Arab mediators, led by the Qatari prime minister, concluded a deal on Thursday to end the fighting which killed 81 people and exacerbated sectarian tensions between Shi'ites loyal to Hezbollah and Druze and Sunni followers of the ruling coalition.

Qatar invited the rivals to Doha for talks to end a broader political standoff that has paralysed government for 18 months and left Lebanon without a president since November.

"We are going to Doha ... to come back, God willing, with an agreement that will allow Lebanese to look forward, benefiting from the past and its bitter experience," Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said before leaving for Qatar.

The White House said Siniora cancelled talks in Egypt on Sunday with U.S. President George W. Bush so he can focus on the talks in Qatar, which were due to begin on Friday night.

Syria, which backs the opposition and is an ally of Iran, said it supported the Qatari-led Arab League initiative.

"This step could be a real chance to save Lebanon from the dangers that threaten it," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem told the Lebanese as-Safir newspaper. "We are absolutely with the initiative."

Saudi Arabia, a strong backer of the ruling coalition, also stated its support for the deal. Riyadh said this week that Hezbollah's campaign could affect Iran's ties with Arab states.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, speaking in Riyadh, stressed the importance of all parties abiding by commitments not to use violence for political gains.

GOVERNMENT CLIMBDOWN

Washington blames Syria and Iran for Hezbollah's brief seizure of parts of Beirut last week which forced the government to rescind two decisions which had triggered the escalation.

Hezbollah, a political group with a powerful guerrilla army, had seen the government move to ban its communications network as a declaration of war.

In another concession, the ruling coalition also appears to have dropped its demands that the election of a new president precede discussions on a new cabinet and parliamentary election law -- the two main issues on the agenda of the Qatar talks.

"The atmosphere is excellent and we will put our efforts into reaching a solution which is in the interest of all Lebanese," parliament speaker Nabih Berri, an opposition leader allied to Syria, told as-Safir.

The opposition has demanded more say in a cabinet controlled by factions opposed to Syrian influence in Lebanon.

The anti-Damascus factions have long accused the opposition of seeking to restore Syrian domination that was ended in 2005 when Syria, under international pressure, withdrew its troops after the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

The ruling coalition's refusal to yield to the opposition's demand for veto power in cabinet triggered the resignation of all its Shi'ite ministers in November 2006. Lebanon was plunged into its worst political crisis since the civil war.

A deal would lead to the election of army commander General Michel Suleiman as president. Both sides have long accepted his nomination for a post reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system.

Under a deal, the opposition would also remove a protest camp that has closed off central Beirut since December 2006. (Writing by Tom Perry in Beirut)