BEIRUT, 1 July 2005 — The nominee of the majority anti-Syrian coalition, Fuad Siniora, was appointed yesterday as the new prime minister to form Lebanon’s first government free from Syrian influence in decades.
Riding a wave of support, Siniora, a former finance minister who was nominated by 126 of the 128 members of Parliament — an unprecedented majority — pledged to implement reforms and political change. He called on all Lebanese factions to join hands to achieve those goals.
Siniora, a longtime trusted aide of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was appointed premier by President Emile Lahoud, who spent the day polling legislators on their choice.
Lahoud was obliged to designate the legislator favored by the majority even though relations between him and Siniora have often been tense.
Speaking to reporters after his appointment, Siniora said he will follow in the late Hariri’s footsteps in fighting for “freedom, independence and strengthening stability.”
He also pledged to find the killers of Hariri, who was assassinated in February in a bomb blast in Beirut. His murder, which the Lebanese opposition blames on Syria, triggered street protests and led to the Syrian troop withdrawal in April.
The United Nations has asked Interpol for help in investigating the assassination of Hariri, the international police agency said yesterday. Interpol said it will work with the UN investigation commission in Beirut. The team will use Interpol’s databases of fingerprints, DNA, suspected terrorists and stolen documents as resources.
“Having the Interpol specialist officers on the ground in Beirut will mean that the UN investigation will benefit from additional expertise on the scene,” Interpol Secretary-General Ronald K. Noble said in a statement.
At his news conference, Siniora said he hoped to form a new Cabinet “at the earliest possible time,” adding that he will begin consultations with legislators today.
The veteran banker and longtime close aide of Hariri became the front-runner when he was nominated by the biggest bloc in the new Parliament headed by Hariri’s son, Saad. Saad Hariri’s allies in Parliament supported his choice.
Despite the unprecedented support, forming a government may prove to be difficult because Lahoud, a pro-Syrian, can oppose the makeup of the government if it does not include his allies. Members of the anti-Syrian coalition who consider Lahoud a Syrian holdout have been calling for his resignation, but he has refused to step down.
