Lebanese President Asks Hariri to Lead Caretaker Government
Lebanon＇s president has asked Prime Minister Saad Hariri to lead a caretaker government after the collapse Wednesday of the country＇s coalition cabinet.
President Michel Suleiman＇s office on Thursday asked Mr. Hariri to remain in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed.
Opposition Hezbollah ministers and their allies resigned in protest of the United Nations-backed investigation into the 2005 assassination of the country＇s former prime minister, Rafiq Hariri.
They represented 11 members of the 30-member cabinet.
Mr. Hariri, who is the son of the deceased prime minister, is due to discuss his government＇s collapse Thursday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The resignations took place as Mr. Hariri was meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. A White House statement said Mr. Obama commended Mr. Hariri for his "steadfast leadership and efforts to reach peace, stability and consensus in Lebanon under difficult circumstances."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Hezbollah＇s actions are a "transparent effort" to "subvert justice and undermine Lebanon＇s sovereignty and independence."
Observers say the immediate trigger for Hezbollah＇s withdrawal was the failure of talks between Syria, which backs the Shi＇ite militant group, and Saudi Arabia, a Hariri ally, to try to find a compromise over the U.N. tribunal.
Few details have been released about the Syrian-Saudi initiative to broker an agreement among Beirut＇s rival political factions. The negotiations had been touted by Lebanese and Arab leaders as one of the best hopes to defuse the crisis.
Media reports say the U.N. indictments will likely target Hezbollah members.
Hezbollah denies involvement in the killing of Rafiq Hariri and has been pushing the government to renounce the probe.
In a Wednesday news conference, opposition lawmaker Gebran Bassil denounced the U.N. investigation as an "Israeli project."
In Washington, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said U.S. aid and assistance to Lebanon would continue. However, he said Hezbollah is presenting a "false choice" of justice or stability to Lebanon when the country deserves both.
Meanwhile, the U.N. says Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has reiterated his full support for the work of the tribunal.
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