Lebanese government collapses

Government falls after Hezbollah and allies withdraw from coalition in row over UN probe into murder of Rafiq al-Hariri. Last Modified: 12 Jan 2011 17:14 GMT

Hezbollah says the tribunal over the murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri has been politicised [EPA] Lebanon's unity government has collapsed after the Hezbollah movement and its political allies resigned from the cabinet over arguments stemming from a UN probe into the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, in 2005. There has been growing political tension in Lebanon amid signs that Hezbollah members could be indicted by the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). Ten ministers tendered their resignations on Wednesday after reports that al-Hariri's son Saad, the prime minister, had refused their call to convene a cabinet meeting to discuss controversial issues including the investigation by the STL. An eleventh member, Adnan Sayyed Hussein later, stood down, automatically bringing down al-Hariri's government. The request to convene the cabinet meeting came on Tuesday after Syria and Saudi Arabia, who have for months been attempting to act as mediators in Lebanon's political crisis, announced their efforts had failed. The resignations, which were announced by Jubran Bassil, the energy minister, came as al-Hariri was in Washington meeting Barack Obama, the US president. Bassil called on Michel Suleiman, the Lebanese president, to form a new government. Immediately after his government was brought down, al-Hariri cut short his visit to the United States to fly home. He drove to Dulles international airport after talks with Obama at the White House. He would likely meet Suleiman on his return home 'Israeli project' Hezbollah, which has denied any role in the assassination, has denounced the tribunal as an "Israeli project'' and urged al-Hariri to reject any findings by the court, which has not yet announced its decisions. In depth Profile: Rafiq al-Hariri Timeline: Al-Hariri investigation Focus: Lebanon simmers as Hazbollah braces Focus: Split remains over Hariri tribunal Inside Story: Hezbollah talks tough But al-Hariri has refused to break co-operation with the tribunal. "Saad Hariri was on the brink of making a major concession as concerns the tribunal but occult forces prevented him from doing so," Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader, told the AFP news agency without elaborating. Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, in Beirut, said that the opposition ministers said that they resigned because the prime minister will not engage them and respond to efforts to reach an understanding on a number of issues. "What the ministers are saying is that they resigned to protest Saad Hariri's stand not to find a settlement on how to deal with the ramifications of the tribunal. "Hezbollah are saying that this tribunal has been politicised and used by the US and Isreal to descredit Hezbollah, that they have nothing to do with the death of Rafiq Hariri and they want Saad Hariri to come out and delegitimise its findings and end Lebanon's co-operation with the tribunal." Saad Hariri's associates have said that he would not succumb to pressure and will call for a cabinet meeting when he finds it appropriate. The standoff between al-Hariri's camp and Hezbollah over the UN tribunal has paralysed the government for months and sparked concerns of sectarian violence similar to the one that brought the country close to civil war in May 2008.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies