Hezbollah plans Lebanon street protests this week

BEIRUT, Nov 26 (Reuters) Hezbollah and its allies plan street protests this week to try to topple the Western-backed government which ignored its demands for more power and approved plans for a court to try suspects in the killing of ex-premier Rafik al-Hariri.

The international court is a big source of tension between Lebanon's government which says its pro-Syrian opponents, led by Hezbollah, want to weaken it and scupper the tribunal.The opposition denies this saying it backs a tribunal in principle.

A preliminary UN inquiry into Hariri's death has implicated Syrian and Lebanese security officials.

Six pro-Syrian ministers resigned from cabinet this month after national unity talks broke down when the government refused to give the opposition a decisive say in government.

Hezbollah, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the pro-Syrian Amal faction, and pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud now say the government is illegitimate and its decisions unconstitutional.

Hezbollah and its allies have said they will take to the streets to overthrow the government, which they see as a puppet of Washington, after it rejected its demands. Political sources have said Hezbollah would take to the streets this week.

''The freezing in the negotiations makes the option of (going out) to the streets more imminent and the preparations are going on in this direction,'' a senior political source close to Hezbollah told Reuters today.

MORE ASSASSINATIONS? Anti-Syrian Christian Lebanese leader Samir Geagea warned that efforts to derail the tribunal's formation could lead to assassination bids against parliament members.

''I think in this coming stage, ministers will still be targeted, in addition, they will start targeting parliament members,'' Geagea told Reuters in an interview yesterday.

Syria, whose critics have accused it of involvement in other political slayings including Tuesday's killing of anti-Syrian minister Pierre Gemayel, denies any role in the deaths and complained it had not been consulted on plans for the tribunal and appeared to threaten not to cooperate with it.

''The government won the tribunal gamble and (now there is) confrontation to Baabda (Presidential Palace) and (parliament),'' the an-Nahar daily's headline today.

After the cabinet's approval, the 128-seat parliament has to vote on the court plan which needs a simple majority to pass.

Even though the two parties are divided on political lines, since the pro-Syrian group is mainly composed of Shi'ites and the anti-Syrian majority is headed by Saad al-Hariri, Rafik's son, a Sunni, there are fears the crisis could deteriorate into sectarian strife between Muslims.

''A civil war is not possible. Those who want one are not Lebanese,'' Saad said in the Spanish El Pais newspaper on Sunday.

Reuters SSC RN1930