 Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami has signalled his willingness to concede to opposition demands to resign, but President Emile Lahoud has refused to succumb to pressure. Lahud said his government would not bow to pressure as repercussions of the 14 February assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri continued to ripple across the nation. | "I'm bought, and I'll stay bought!" |
However, speaking to Aljazeera over phone from Beirut, Karam Karam a Lebanese State Minister said the government did not favour continuing disagreement over the killing of al-Hariri.
| "Can't we all get along, now that he's dead?" |
"I am for the resignation of the government if that will overcome the current crisis and pave the way for a serious dialogue among all sides", he added. Prime Minister Karami meanwhile told the leading An-Nahar newspaper, "I am ready to resign on condition that we agree on a new government in order to avoid falling into a constitutional vacuum." Karami, however, said he will seek a vote of confidence in Parliament on Monday, when lawmakers will convene to discuss the assassination. The debate was requested by opposition legislators. "If the result is a no-confidence motion, we are ready and will bow to the will of the legislators," Karami said.
| So they've got until the beginning of next week to bring the pressure... |
As Karami's remarks appeared in one paper, President Emile Lahoud took a tougher line. While both he and Karami in the separate interviews called for dialogue, Lahoud said there can be no action under pressure.
| That's why they have pressure, isn't it? To force action? But Schevardnadze and Yanukovych and Ceaucescu all said the same thing. And what ever did happen to Egon Krenz? |
In an interview with the Sada al-Balad newspaper, Lahud said the government "cannot succumb to opposition demands," adding that the only way to solve problems is through dialogue. Lahoud, in the interview, said the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon can only be decided in line with a 1989 Arab-brokered agreement, shrugging off UN, American and French demands for a total, immediate pullout. |