Lebanon's showdown set for lengthy battle of wills

BEIRUT, Dec 3 (Reuters) Lebanon's political crisis showed no sign of easing today, with the pro-Syrian opposition pressing its protest campaign to topple the Western-backed government.

Thousands of protesters from Hezbollah and its allies spent a second night in a tent city in central Beirut, within earshot of the office-turned-residence of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

''We are not letting them (ministers) sleep, we're disturbing them with our noise. We have the resilience to stay not for one month, but a year or two,'' said Ahmed Kayello, a 20-year-old student from south Lebanon, sitting on a grassy slope.

Breakfast vendors parked on pavements, some protesters read newspapers, and long queues formed behind portable latrines, a morning after thousands of protesters chanted ''Beirut is free, Siniora out,'' during a late night rally yesterday.

Siniora, who again vowed on Saturday that he would not be forced out of office by the protests, received backing from the visiting German and British foreign ministers and calls of support from a host of Arab leaders and Western officials.

''This government won an election and has the majority in parliament and therefore whoever wants to keep democracy in the country can't allow this government to be called into question in the streets,'' German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters after talks with Siniora.

Siniora's office said U S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed support in a phone call to the prime minister.

''The coup attempt in its second day: danger of sliding into sedition,'' the pro-government daily Al Mustaqbal's front page headline read. ''An attempt to inflame sectarian differences, and the Mustaqbal (anti-Syrian) faction is seeking sedition,'' read pro-opposition Ad Diyar.

Political sources from both camps said there were no serious moves to find a solution to the deadlock as both sides stuck to their positions. ''We don't expect the showdown to be resolved any time soon,'' one source said.

Hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters rallied on Friday to demand the resignation of the cabinet.

Shi'ite Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Shi'ite Iran, wants to topple the government in Lebanon, which it considers a puppet of Washington, and demands a national unity cabinet. The anti-Syrian politicians who dominate the cabinet say the opposition is attempting a coup.

Although the dispute is political, many Lebanese fear the situation could spark sectarian violence. Tension between Sunnis and Shi'ites is high, as well as bad feeling between Christians who support leaders allied to the rival camps.

Hezbollah has repeatedly criticised Siniora's government over what it says was its failure to back the group during the 34-day summer war with Israel.

Six opposition ministers quit the cabinet last month. The cabinet was further weakened by the assassination on November 21 of anti-Syrian minister Pierre Gemayel.

REUTERS LL BS1258