Opposition calls for mass protest in Beirut

MIDDLE EAST:A mass demonstration has been called for today by Lebanon's Hizbullah-led opposition to mark the first anniversary of the establishment of a tent city in the commercial centre of Beirut to protest against the policies of the Siniora government.

The 600 tents, initially housing thousands, are now largely deserted by day and inhabited by a few hundred men by night. Nevertheless, the opposition presence has halted most business activity at the heart of the capital.

Today's demonstration will be, in part, a victory celebration because the governing bloc last week accepted the opposition demand for the election of a consensus candidate as president.

Parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri has called for an assembly session on December 7th to vote on the favourite, Gen Michel Suleiman, the army chief.

The ruling bloc, led by Saad Hariri, son of slain former premier Rafiq Hariri, declared this week it would accept Gen Suleiman as a compromise candidate to fill the vacancy created by the departure a week ago of Émile Lahoud, also a former armed forces commander.

This move was followed by the announcement on Thursday by Michel Aoun, the candidate of the Hizbullah-led opposition, that he agreed to the general's nomination and would not object to a constitutional amendment waiving the six-month waiting period specified for the election of a public servant.

By pulling out of the contest, Mr Aoun freed Hizbullah from a formal obligation to back his candidacy.

Mr Hariri and the prime minister, Fouad Siniora had, at the instigation of US president George Bush, held out for a candidate from the ruling bloc.

But it now appears that Mr Bush, who has intervened several times over the past few months to stiffen the stance of the government, has accepted the necessity of reaching the very compromise Arab and European mediators have been promoting since last summer.

Arab analysts argue that the Bush administration relented over its demand for a president chosen by the governing majority during last Tuesday's Annapolis meeting attended by delegations from 14 Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria which have been urging the election of a consensus figure.

French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana have also been working towards this objective, making Mr Bush the odd man out at a time when he needs the backing of both the Arab world and Europe for his tough line against Iran.