From The Australian, November 13, 2006 ....
BEIRUT: The prospect of renewed chaos loomed over Lebanon at the weekend after the Hezbollah movement and its Shia allies quit the Government, plunging the country into a political crisis that could quickly spill into the streets.
The resignations of all five Shia ministers - two from Hezbollah, two from the Amal movement and one independent - from the cabinet of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora were announced hours after the collapse of high-stakes talks aimed at soothing rising sectarian tensions in the wake of the devastating war with Israel last northern summer.
It also coincided with the finalisation of a draft UN resolution that will establish an international tribunal to investigate those responsible for the death of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, whose assassination in February last year was widely blamed on Syria. Lebanon's cabinet is due to meet today to approve the draft.
....According to cabinet rules, eight ministers would need to resign to topple the Government.
....In a toughly worded warning late last month, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said he would order his followers to take to the streets to force change unless negotiations delivered progress by today on his demand that Hezbollah and its allies should be given a third of the seats in the 24-member cabinet, enough to give them veto rights.
The threat drew a swift response from the White House, which accused Hezbollah allies Syria and Iran of "preparing plans to topple Lebanon's democratically elected Government" and warned them to keep their "hands off" Lebanon.
The anti-Syrian alliance that dominates the Government, comprising representatives of the Sunni, Christian and Druze communities, rejected Hezbollah's demand. Instead, they offered a compromise under which the cabinet would be expanded to give more seats to Hezbollah's allies but not enough to give the pro-Syrian bloc veto rights....
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