Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud has called for the quick formation of a national union government to resolve the current political crisis and avoid street protests. "We need a government of national union which represents all parties as soon as possible, or else there will be demonstrations on the streets that we are against," the Lebanese president said in an interview with AFP Wednesday.
"All parties should return to dialogue in order to agree on a government of national union," he added. "When it comes to the country's fateful decisions, all parties should participate," Lahoud said.
According to him, the government's adoption of the UN draft for the creation of the ex-Premier Rafic Hariri tribunal was "not binding for the Lebanese state" because the decision was taken by an "illegitimate" government.
He again denounced "Western interference," mainly by French President Jacques Chirac. "It is one of the factors of the crisis ... and prevents dialogue among the Lebanese," he said.
