Lebanon's most prominent Christian leader said yesterday he had yet to hear from fellow opposition politicians, signaling deepening splits within the disparate front that helped end Syria's 29-year military presence. A day after returning to Lebanon amid scenes of jubilation, Michel Aoun said his allies so far were the tens of thousands of youthful supporters who welcomed him home from a 14-year exile. "Until now I haven't heard... I assume silence after a certain period means rejection," Aoun told reporters at his home just outside Beirut, where he received a stream of politicians.Opposition calls for Syria to leave and Aoun to return mounted after the Feb. 14 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri plunged Lebanon into its deepest political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. The opposition, comprising Christians, Druze and Sunni Muslims, was united in blaming Syria and the security agencies it backed for the assassination. But with the last Syrian soldier leaving Lebanon 12 days ago, splits over the law organizing a general election due to begin in three weeks are pulling the opposition apart.
Aoun has said members of his Free Patriotic Movement will contest the elections, although he has yet to announce any formal political alliances. The Maronite Christian leader has not said if he will run for Parliament, but he has hinted he will consider the presidency. Parliament met Saturday to review a letter from President Emile Lahoud proposing a change to a law under which the elections between May 29 and June 19 would be held. But the assembly rejected the letter outright and Speaker Nabih Berri adjourned the session without a vote on changing the electoral law, seen favoring pro-Syria candidates.
Druze opposition leader Walid Jumblatt, who supported the Syrian withdrawal but would be well-served by the existing rules, maligned Aoun's return in the chamber and called on Lahoud to resign. Aoun rejected calls for Lahoud's resignation and took a swipe at Jumblatt and some other opposition deputies. "No one can pressure the president to resign. They must wait for the new Parliament," he said. "They came under an incorrect law, under occupation and they cannot try anyone when a large part of them need to be tried."