Week-long “national consultations” between pro- and anti-Syrian factions are set to be held this week as rival Lebanese leaders consider demands by Hizbullah to increase the number of opposition members in the government, thereby broadening its own power in the Western-backed government.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for the all the parties to come together to find a way to resolve the brewing crisis, with the blessing of the United Nations, the United States and Saudi Arabia.
The pro-Syrian coalition, which includes Hizbullah, has demanded one-third of the seats in Prime Minister Fuad Siniora’s cabinet – a demand which the anti-Syrian majority coalition, led by Majority Leader Saad al-Hariri, rejected outright.
Al-Hariri told the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) television network that he sees no reason to change the government. “Why do they want a third (of the seats) in a government whose decisions are by consensus and unanimous?” he said.
Hizbullah included in its demands veto power over cabinet decisions as well as a new election law which would increase the number of representatives from the opposition parties. If the demands are not met, the terror group threatened it would take the issue to the streets, a move that might throw the entire country into chaos, with mass demonstrations and counter-demonstrations that could become violent.
In the wake of the recent war between Hizbullah and Israel, fought primarily on Lebanese soil, the prospect of Hizbullah’s attempt to take over the government is one that has raised red flags in the rest of the world as well as in Beirut.
The growing crisis reflects the larger issue of growing Iranian and Syrian power in the region, a problem exacerbated by Iran’s continued refusal to suspend, let alone end, its uranium enrichment program. A deadline set by the U.N. Security Council for the Islamic Republic to end its nuclear development activities by August 31 was ignored, without an effective response by the world body which threatened sanctions but failed to implement them.
Now the Iranian-backed terrorist group has issued its own deadline, giving the anti-Syrian majority faction until mid-November to agree on a unity government, which would give Hizbullah expanded powers, or face a possible coup d’etat.
In a country with 18 sectarian communities, each of which demands a role in determining the affairs of its government, the memory of a deadly civil war that raged from 1975 to 1990 is still fresh.