Lebanon has begun searching for a new prime minister after Umar Karami's surprise resignation of government under intense public pressure on Monday. But after the euphoria in downtown Beirut that followed Karami's announcement, apprehension was rising on Tuesday about the future. With memories of Lebanon's devastating 1975-1990 civil war still strong, some Lebanese feared that the political uncertainty could bring instability to Lebanon once again. "The fall of the government is not the end of the road," the Al-Mustaqbal newspaper cautioned.The opposition, which has intensified its peaceful demonstrations since the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri on 14 February, has vowed to keep up the pressure until the Syrian army and its intelligence agencies have left Lebanon. A presidential spokesman told AFP that President Emile Lahud has granted MPs 48 hours to decide on a candidate for the post of prime minister, which is customarily given to a member of the Sunni Muslim community. Lahud is considered close to Damascus. Speaking to Aljazeera, Walid Jumblatt - the prominent Druze opposition MP - called for the formation of a "neutral" transitional government which should oversee a partial withdrawal of Syrian troops before elections due by the end of May. Jumblatt also called for the resignation of President Lahud, and said tomorrow's opposition meeting would decide whether to enter into consultations with Lahud on forming a new government.