Lebanon Government Has Collapsed - January 12, 2011

Lebanon Government Has Collapsed - January 12, 2011

BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanon's unity government looked set to collapse on Wednesday after the powerful Hezbollah , its allies threatened to walk out over a UN probe into the assassination 0f former premier Rafiq Hariri.

Health Minister Mohamad Jawad Khalifeh, whose Amal party is allied with Hezbollah, said 11 ministers would tender their resignations Wednesday afternoon unless the cabinet convenes to discuss a long-running standoff over the UN-backed Special Tribunal f0rLebanon (STL).

"If the cabinet fails to meet, it means there is notgovernment , as such 11 ministers will tender their resignations this afternoon," Khalifeh told AFP.

The Shiite militant group Hezbollah , its allies have f0rmonths been pressing Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son 0f the slain former premier, to disavow the STL on grounds it is part 0f a US-Israeli plot.

Hezbollah's camp, which is backed by Iran , Syria, on Tuesday gave the Western-backed Hariri, who is in Washington, until Wednesday to convene a cabinet meeting on the tribunal.

According to unconfirmed press reports, the STL is set to indict seni0rHezbollah members in connection with Rafiq Hariri's 2005 assassination, a scenario the militant party vehemently rejects.

Environment Minister Mohammad Rahhal, who is close to Hariri, told AFP Hezbollah's threat to topple the government was aimed at paralysing the state , forcing the premier to disavow the tribunal.

"The scenarios put forth earlier were aimed at forcing Prime Minister Saad Hariri to reject the tribunal," Rahhal said. "When these scenarios failed, they declared political warfare on him today.

"They think that by piling the pressure on him, Hariri will bend but they are mistaken."

Hariri on Wednesday was to meet with US President Barack Obama to discuss the political crisis.

The Sunni premier has also held talks in recent days in New York with Saudi King Abdullah, US Secretary 0f State Hillary Clinton, French President Nicolas Sarkozy , UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon over the crisis.

Mustapha Alloush, a seni0rmember 0f Hariri's Future Movement, said Hezbollah , its allies had timed the announcement 0f the government collapse to coincide with the premier's meeting with Obama scheduled at 1500 GMT.

"They want Hariri to enter the meeting with the US president as an ex-premier 0ras head 0f a caretaker government," Alloush told AFP. "But the real goal is to deal a moral blow to the United States."

Lebanon's hard-won unity government is made up 0f 30 ministers, 10 0f them representing Hezbollah , its allies.
Lebanon Government Has Collapsed - January 12, 2011

In order f0rthe government to collapse, Hezbollah needs to secure the backing 0f more than a third 0f the ministers. Political sources identified the 11th minister planning to submit his resignation as Minister 0f State Adnan Sayyed Hussein, close to President Michel Sleiman.

Contacted by AFP, Hussein refused to confirm that he planned to step down.

Syria , Saudi Arabia have f0rmonths been attempting to mediate the crisis but their efforts have failed, with rival Lebanese camps accusing each other 0f refusing to compromise.

"Saad Hariri was on the brink 0f making a maj0rconcession as concerns the tribunal but occult forces prevented him from doing so," Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a former ally 0f Hariri, told AFP without elaborating.


By: The eFoods Global Business Network