 Lebanon's political crisis deepened yesterday when pro-Syrians called for the formation of a government of national unity, ignoring a list of tough conditions set by the opposition for the future of the country. The pro-Syrian government of Prime Minister Omar Karameh was forced to quit this week after huge protests in Beirut, leaving officials with a complex search for a new head of government. "The shortest and most effective routes for national dialogue is ... the formation of a national unity government that includes the various political trends in the country," a meeting of loyalist groups said in a statement.
| "That way those of us who don't mind being a colony don't get locked out, and when this all blows over we can maybe grab power again." |
It also blamed opposition protests for pressure on the Lebanese pound in the local market that has forced the central bank to sell hundreds of millions of dollars to keep it stable. Lebanon's embattled president was, meanwhile, struggling to find a new premier after the opposition insisted on a Syrian pledge for a troop pullout before it would hold talks on joining a new government. And Russia, a long-time time strategic ally and arms provider to Damascus, added its voice to the mounting US-led international calls for Syria to end its three-decade military presence in its smaller neighbor. |