No agreement on new president for Lebanon
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Prime Minister Fuad Saniora assured his country Saturday that the military was in control of the streets while lawmakers struggled to overcome a political crisis that has left the country without a president.
The army made clear it will stay out of politics, emerging as the country’s best hope for stability.
Beirut remained calm after a tumultuous day that intensified fears of street violence between supporters of Saniora’s U.S.-backed government and the opposition led by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah and backed by Syria and Iran.
After months of trying, the two rival camps were unable to agree on a compromise candidate to succeed pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, who stepped down Friday night.
In his first comments since Lahoud left office, Saniora dismissed the departing president’s declaration that the country was in a “state of emergency” and that he was handing over security powers to the army.
“There is no state of emergency, and there is no need for that,” Saniora said.
The departure of Lahoud, a staunch ally of Syria during his nine years in office, was a long-sought goal of the government installed by parliament’s anti-Syria majority. The government has been trying to put one of its own in the post and seal the end of Syrian dominance of Lebanon.
International pressure and mass protests after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri forced Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in 2005 after 29 years. Many in Lebanon blamed Syria for Hariri’s killing, but Syria denied it.
Hezbollah and its opposition allies have been able to stymie the government’s hopes by repeatedly boycotting parliamentary votes for a new president.