“The only way to confront all the difficulties facing the nation is a government of national unity,” Karami said.

BEIRUT, March 10, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Lebanon's outgoing Prime Minister Omar Karami was designated Thursday, March 10, to form a national unity government.

The move came as a delegation of Lebanese opposition, touring Europe, expressed rejection to UN Security Council resolution 1559, calling for dialogue with Hezbollah resistance group, considering it part and parcel of Lebanon.

Speaking at a press conference following talks with the Lebanese President, Karami said a national unity government was the only way out of Lebanon's crisis, urging the pro and anti-Syria parties to join a dialogue and take part in the new government, Reuters reported.

“The only way to confront all the difficulties facing the nation is a government of national unity,” Karami said.

“If there is any procrastination in responding to this invitation, it means we're heading to destruction.”

A total of 69 deputies from the 128-member chamber nominated Karami  Wednesday to lead a new government in the country.

The opposition lawmakers, for their part, did not nominate anyone to lead the government, handing the Lebanese President a list of their demands instead.

The demands included calls for the resignation of the country’s security chiefs and a demand for the authorities to reveal who was behind the February 14 assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri.

After a stormy session of the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies (parliament) February 28, Karami extended his resignation following continuous protests from the opposition over Hariri assassination, that they blamed on Syria.

On Tuesday, March 8, however, the pro-Syria powers in Lebanon dealt a heavy blow to the opposition front when over a million and a half Lebanese converged in central Beirut to “thank Syria, reject resolution 1559 and shun US interference”.

Last week, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told parliament he would withdraw Syrian troops to the Bekaa and then to the borders, in accordance with Taif Accord.

The US and France have been piling pressure on Syria for a complete withdrawal of troops and intelligence services from Lebanon.

Last September the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1559 sponsored by Paris and Washington demanding the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Lebanon, a clear reference to the Syrian forces.

“We insisted on the application of the Taif Accord,” Jumblatt said.

In what could be a major shift in the Lebanese opposition’s stance, a delegation comprising top opposition figures touring Europe said it opposes UN Security Council resolution 1559 on the Syrian military withdrawal from Lebanon, stressing that the pullout of the Syrian troops from the Arab country should be subjected to the Taif agreement, Reuters said.

“We insisted on the application of the Taif Accord, well understanding that in the Taif Accord there is a clear Syrian withdrawal ... within a very clear timeframe, and the withdrawal of Syrian secret service personnel as well,” Walid Jumblatt, one of Lebanese opposition figures, said following talks Wednesday in Brussels with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

The 1989 Taif Accord, sponsored by Saudi Arabia, put an end to Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.

It provides for “the two governments to determine the strength and duration of the presence of the Syrian forces” but does not set a specific deadline for a Syrian withdrawal.

Jumblatt also called for dialogue with the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah on the Syrian military withdrawal from Lebanon.

“We are a democratic country. They have demonstrated their stand, they are part of the Lebanese. Hizbullah is part of the Lebanon,” he said.

“I do thank them because they have raised the Lebanese flag. So we have something in common. And this is why we should engage in dialogue.”

Chanting “Beirut is free, America out”, Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese – some estimates put the number well above 1.5 million -- swarmed into central Beirut Tuesday in response to calls by pro-Syria powers in Lebanon, raising slogans of “gratitude for Syria” and outright rejection of US-led international interference in Lebanese-Syrian affairs.

“We thank Syria and pray that Syria will remain the fortress of heroes and live in dignity. Long Live Syria’s Assad…Long live the Syrian people,” Hezbollah Secretary General told the sea of people, who gathered in Riyad Al-Solh square in central Beirut.

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