Rafic Hariri quits, not to form a new government
Lebanon, Politics, 10/21/2004

The Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri submitted the resignation of his government to the Lebanese President Emil Lahoud who accepted it.

A press statement said that Hariri is not designated to assume the leadership of the new government, while his aides stressed he will not form the new government.

President Lahoud term of office was extended in September after what was described by Lebanese parliamentarians as pressure from Damascus. Several interventions are being made since several weeks to form the new government following the extension of President Lahoud's term of office for new extra years.

Political sources said that these interventions were held awaiting the meeting of the UN Security Council.

In an official announcement, the UN Security Council on Tuesday called in Syria to honor the rules of UN Security Council resolutions no. 1559 which was issued on September 2nd, demanding implicitly Syria to withdraw its forces from Lebanon.

Hariri justified his resignation as prime minister to internal political differences, in remarks to his differences with his political opponent President Emil Lahoud.

In a statement, Hariri said that withstanding challenges can not be made only through a solid internal front that meets the ambitions of the Lebanese and their will and confidence in their country and government.

He considers that these objectives constitute the true logic for a government assuming the public affairs and stresses commitment to national principles of Lebanon and does not violate confidence with citizens.

Hariri's resignation who has been assuming the post of the prime minister in Lebanon since 12 years, loomed in September, over his conflict with Lahoud on the Syrian's presence in Lebanon. A conflict that reached its peak with the Lebanese parliament extension of Lahoud's term of office for more three years.

A statement by the Lebanese Presidency said that Lahoud accepted the resignation and asked the government to run the affairs until a new government is formed. On Thursday Lahoud will start parliamentary consultations to appoint a new prime minister.

Worthy mentioning that al-Hariri was appointed a prime minister for the first time in 1992 when Lebanon was in a drastic need for a prime minister to take the country out of a devastated destruction inflected by a civil war between 1975- 1990.

Previous Stories:
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  Caldanian community in Lebanon deplores recent explosions against churches in Iraq   (10/19/2004)

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