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Lebanon appoints moderate ally of Syria as New PM
BEIRUT - Lebanon's president appointed moderate ally of Syria Najib Mikati as prime minister-designate on Friday after the anti-Syrian opposition unexpectedly backed him to lead the country into a general election set for May. Mikati won the nomination of the country's 128-member parliament as a compromise candidate in a close race with outgoing Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mrad, a staunch ally of Damascus.
Ah, the lesser of two weevils won out.
Prime Minister Omar Karami stepped down on Wednesday after he failed to agree a cabinet, first with the anti-Syrian opposition and then with pro-Syrian allies.

'I hope I can survive embody national unity,' Mikati told reporters after being appointed by President Emile Lahoud. He said he could begin consultations to form a government on Saturday. 'We are facing an important stage ... the return of democracy,' said Mikati, a wealthy 49-year-old businessman and a friend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Does Babyface have any 'friends'?
The political crisis has threatened to delay the elections, much to the ire of anti-Syrian opposition lawmakers who believe the polls would give them a majority in a chamber now dominated by allies of Damascus. But Mikati's appointment with the backing of the opposition could revive hopes of the polls being held on time.

Unlike veteran politician Karami, Mikati does not hail from one of Lebanon's political dynasties and so carries less political clout baggage, rendering him a compromise choice palatable to both anti-Syrian opposition figures and pro-Syrian loyalists.

'We welcome the naming of a prime minister. We expect to see both an expeditious formation of a Lebanese cabinet as well as parliamentary elections being held by the end of May without delays,' said State Department spokesman Tom Casey. 'Lebanon must be allowed to determine its own future free of intimidation and all foreign interference.'

Mikati must quickly form a government, win a confidence vote in parliament, draft an election law and get it passed by the assembly all in under two weeks to have any chance of holding the polls before the end of May. He said his priorities were survival holding the polls, keeping his head attached to his neck cooperating fully with an international inquiry into Hariri's killing and returning to his wife and kids alive confidence to an economy shaken by his death.

The Sunni Muslim former transport minister did not say whether he expected the elections to take place on time.
Posted by: Steve White 2005-04-16
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=61519