Lebanon heads towards a critical week

Jan 4, 2008, 22:16 GMT

Beirut - Lebanon's political crisis is heading towards a critical week after all efforts by rival political parties failed to reach agreement on ending the stalemate gripping the country.

'The country is heading towards ten critical days,' said a source close to the opposition led by Hezbollah, while the anti-Syrian ruling majority repeated charges that the opposition was seeking to change the political System and torpedo the Saudi-brokered Taif agreement which ended the 1975-1990 civil war.

'The opposition wants to prolong the presidential void to reach their purpose,' said anti-Syrian MP Wael abu Faour.

He was referring to Wednesday's statement by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah that there will be no president in Lebanon unless the opposition gets veto power in the future cabinet, and that the anti-government camp would take decisive measures within 10 days if mediation efforts fail.

Nasrallah accused the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority of creating the current presidential deadlock by refusing a partnership with the opposition.

It 'wants to fully control authority and rejects partnership with the other party...a veto power means that the opposition becomes a partner (in the future government),' Nasrallah said.

For his part, Christian anti-Syrian leader Samir Geagea rejected a 10-day ultimatum set by Nasrallah for the majority to accept the opposition demands, stressing that 'we do not succumb to threats.'

Anti-Syrian Telecomunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh accused Nasrallah of implementing orders issued by Syria and Iran and taking the country to the unknown by 'making conditions...and issuing threats.'

Hamadeh added: 'The majority is not interested in a unity government in which the Hezbollah-led opposition will have a veto power. This veto power will only be to serve the interests of Syria and Iran in Lebanon.'

Rival leaders - divided between a pro-Western ruling parliamentary majority and an anti-Western opposition led by Hezbollah - have been wrangling over a number of issues before electing army chief General Michel Suleiman as consensus president.

Nasrallah, in his interview, did not say what kind of 'mobilization' the opposition would undertake after ten days, but stressed that the opposition will not be silent if the Western-backed government refuses what a 'real partnership in sharing powers'.

Despite the deep divisions among the political rival groups, both sides have repeatedly said they do not want their differences to spill out into violence in the streets.

But tension is high, with sporadic scuffles reported in recent days between supporters of Amal - the Shiite movement allied with Hezbollah - and followers of the head of the ruling parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri.

Political analyst Shafik Masri told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa that 'the Lebanese must take the lead in solving their own problems, and not rely solely on foreign interventions and external powers to solve their issues.'

And George Alam, a political analyst, warned: 'Until the next scheduled parliament on January 12, Lebanon will be in the intensive care unit.'

According to sources close to the opposition, this has been 'studying the possibility of closing down the airport and most sea ports in the country.'

The sources added that the opposition was also examining the prospects of 'organizing a large sit-in' near the US embassy in Awkar, north of Beirut, and blocking vital roads.

This would be a move reminiscent of January 23 last year when the opposition closed roads and burned tires to protest against what it said was the unconstitutional government.

'These ideas are still under serious debate among various factions to avoid plunging the country into strife,' the sources said.

A source close to the majority said the opposition's plans also include organizing a sit-in outside Bkirki, the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate, to protest the Maronite Church's stance on the presidential election.

Lebanon has been without a president after parliament failed 11 times to elect a successor to Emile Lahoud, whose term term expired on November 23.

In the absence of a head of state, the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Seniora has assumed the duties of the presidential office.

Parliament is scheduled to reconvene on January 12 to pick a successor to Lahoud, but several officials said that session was not likely to go ahead, as disagreements between the rival camps are growing deeper.

The current political crisis began in November 2006 when Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, pulled five of its MPs from the cabinet in order to gain more representation in government.

Hezbollah dropped its initial demand for a government of national unity in exchange for the election of a president favourable to its resistance activities against Israel, Lebanon's southern neighbour.

However, the feuding sides have not been able to reach agreement on a president, threatening the prospect of two rival governments being set up.

Two rival administrations battled against each other in the final days of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.