Lebanon parliament backs unity government

By Ferry Biedermann in Beirut

Lebanon’s parliament overwhelmingly approved the country’s new national unity government on Thursday night, headed by the leader of the pro-western majority, Saad Hariri.

Before he received the confidence of parliament, the prime minister reached out to the country’s big neighbor, Syria, with which relations had been strained during the past five years.

”We especially look forward to Lebanese and Syrian relations founded on brotherly ties ... based on respecting the sovereignty of both countries,” said Mr Hariri.

The country’s media have speculated that he will visit Damascus soon to emphasise the improved ties.

Mr Hariri has headed an anti-Syrian coalition since 2005, when his father, the former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, was assassinated in what many Lebanese regarded as a Syrian-backed plot. Damascus has always denied any connection to the murder.

Parliament approved the cabinet’s policy statement, which includes a clause that recognizes the Hizbollah movement as the national resistance and allows it to keep its arms, in spite of UN resolutions demanding that it disarms.

The vote of confidence came six months after the pro-western bloc of Mr Hariri defeated a coalition including the pro-Syrian Hizbollah movement in parliamentary elections. It followed one month of deliberations over the controversial policy statement since Mr Hariri formed his cabinet.

The statement follows similar lines to earlier ones and demonstrates the continuing power of Hizbollah and its allies.

During the debate in parliament preceding the confidence vote, some of Mr Hariri’s close allies were sharply critical of the clause allowing Hizbollah to keep its arms. Sami Gemmayel of the Christian Phalange party called the clause illegal and told Hizbollah: “You can’t impose your ideas on us.”

The new cabinet includes two ministers from Hizbollah, as well as another eight from its allies. The pro-western bloc holds 15 seats while the country’s president, Michel Suleiman, nominated another five. This formula is meant to preserve a balance between the political and sectarian groups.

As a national unity government, the cabinet could count on overwhelming support in parliament. Out of a total of 128 MPs, 122 voted for the government, one abstained and one voted against, while four were absent.

The government will have to address some urgent economic and social issues, including a mounting debt of $50bn, slow economic reform and a crumbling infrastructure.