Lebanese army 'in full control'

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora sought to calm the Lebanese today - the country's first day without a president - assuring them that the military, which has vowed to stay out of politics, is on the streets to prevent violence while deadlocked factions work to resolve the crisis.

In his first comments since President Emile Lahoud stepped down without a successor, Mr Saniora defended his Western-backed government, saying it will continue to function according to the constitution.

"Our main goal in the coming stage, which we hope will not take longer than a few days, will be to exert all possible efforts… to end this situation as soon as possible," he said.

His comments came after a meeting with Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, head of the influential Maronite Catholic Church. Under Lebanon's division of power, the presidency is held by a Maronite.

Mr Saniora dismissed a declaration by Mr Lahoud, who before departing the presidential palace at midnight yesterday, said he handed over security powers to the army, saying the country is in a "state of emergency".

"There is no state of emergency, and there is no need for that," Mr Saniora said. "There is absolutely no need for any Lebanese to be concerned about the security situation. The army is doing its work and is in full control of the situation on the ground."

So far, the 56,000-member military has successfully kept this tiny, fractious country together, surviving one crisis after another since the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

On Saturday, army chief of staff Major General Shawki al-Masri visited the Presidential Guards at Baabda Palace near Beirut and urged them to continue their job and "be ready to carry out additional missions".

Maj. Gen. Al-Masri said the army command will strengthen security measures when needed as it "did in the past years".

Beirut remained calm today and shops opened for business, following a tumultuous day which intensified fears of street violence between supporters of Mr Saniora's pro-US government and the pro-Syrian opposition led by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

"Lahoud's term ends in a republic without a president," read the headline of Lebanon's leading An-Nahar newspaper. Another daily, Al-Balad, printed an empty photo frame on its front page, symbolising the political vacuum.

Despite the calm, the army will face a tough challenge in maintaining the peace in the coming days and weeks amid the sectarian-charged atmosphere and persistent reports of proliferation of small arms among individuals and political parties.

In the past two years, the army has protected and separated pro- and anti-Syrian groups, maintaining order during angry protests and funerals, emerging as a neutral force. In January, the army imposed a curfew to quell Shiite-Sunni clashes that killed 11 people.

Army commander General Michel Suleiman has ordered his soldiers to ignore the politics and "listen to the call of duty".

But the open-ended political crisis raises the question of how long the under-armed and over-stretched army can continue to hold.

Experts say the army will be united unless Lebanon endures major sectarian violence - especially fighting between Sunni and Shiite Muslims - over an extended period.

"Then it will start to fracture," said retired Lebanese army general Elias Hanna.

He said the conditions today are different from what they were at the onset of the 1975-90 civil war, which pitted Christians against Muslims, when the military splintered along sectarian lines. Unlike then, Lebanon political tensions are now split more along Sunni-Shiite lines, with Christians divided.

The departure of Mr Lahoud, a staunch ally of Syria during his nine years in office, was a long-sought goal of the government installed by parliament's anti-Syria majority, which has been trying to put one of its own in the post and seal the end of Syria dominance in Lebanon. International pressure and mass protests after Mr Hariri's death forced Damascus to withdraw its troops from Lebanon after 29 years.

But Hezbollah and its opposition allies have been able to stymie the government's hopes by boycotting parliament, as they did on Friday afternoon, leaving it without the required quorum.

The fight has put Lebanon into dangerous, unknown territory: both sides are locked in bitter recriminations, accusing the other of breaking the constitution, and they are nowhere near a compromise candidate.

In the absence of a president, Mr Saniora's cabinet, which the opposition considers illegitimate, takes executive power under the constitution.

Mr Saniora, a Sunni, sought to ease Christian concerns at having their top position in the government vacant, saying "nobody can take the place of the president".

Opposition Christian politician Michel Aoun, warned against the Cabinet taking over the role of the presidency, and today invited fellow Christian leaders to his home to discuss the situation.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Shiite aligned with the opposition, has scheduled another session for November 30.