Speaker says Lebanon standoff a ticking time bomb
Source: Reuters
BEIRUT, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Lebanon is like a time bomb that could explode at any time if a political standoff between the government and the Hezbollah-led opposition is not resolved quickly, Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri said. Berri, a close ally of Syria and Hezbollah, indicated in remarks published on Monday that an opposition protest campaign to topple Prime Minister Fouad Siniora could get out of hand if there was no solution before the end of the month. "I'm really scared ... I feel that there is a grave danger looming over the country and threatening its fate," Berri, a veteran Shi'ite Muslim leader, told As-Safir newspaper. "The top priority is to try to avert this danger. I'll continue to sound the alarm and warn that we should reach a solution as quickly as possible and before the end of the month," he said. "The country is like a ticking time bomb. Its detonation will lead to a catastrophe." Protesters have camped outside Siniora's offices in central Beirut since Dec. 1 to try to force him to cede veto power to the opposition in a unity government or call early elections. Siniora, whose backers include the United States, France and Saudi Arabia, has refused to give in and an Arab League mediation effort to find a compromise has failed. The opposition, which mainly groups Hezbollah, Berri's Amal movement and a group led by Christian leader Michel Aoun, has vowed to escalate street protests in the run up to an international donors conference on Lebanon in Paris on Jan. 25. The opposition has criticised the government's reform programme that would be presented at the conference, which includes tax hikes and privatisation plans. Some opposition figures have called for large-scale protests to bring the country to a standstill through blocking off all key roads and highways and marching on government buildings and facilities. Many fear such a scenario would trigger street clashes between supporters of the government and opposition.
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