BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri will deliver an address at 4 p.m.
(1400 GMT), amid rumors of resignation over unprecedented protests
against a ruling elite many accuse of corruption and leading Lebanon
toward economic collapse unseen since the 1975-90 civil war.
There was no immediate comment from Hariri’s office.
His resignation would defy Hezbollah, whose leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah has twice said he was against such a step, citing the risk of a
dangerous void.
In the street, supporters of Hezbollah and its ally Amal forced
protesters from a roadblock they had set up in Beirut, tearing down
their tents and fighting with them, forcing the police to intervene, the
first such incident in the capital.
The Hezbollah and Amal supporters fanned out in the downtown area
shouting “Shia, Shia” in reference to themselves and cursing protesters
who have been calling for revolution.
Hariri last week sought to defuse popular anger through a set of reform
measures agreed with other groups in his coalition government, including
Hezbollah to, among other things, tackle corruption and long-delayed
economic reforms.
But with no immediate steps toward enacting these steps, they did not
satisfy demonstrators whose demands include the resignation of his
coalition government.
One of the sources, a senior official from outside Hariri’s Future
Party, told Reuters the premier would “most probably” announce the
government resignation on Tuesday. The report weighed on Lebanese dollar
bonds.
The nationwide protests have paralyzed Lebanon at a time of deep
economic crisis — banks were closed for a 10th day on Tuesday along with
schools and businesses, with the pegged Lebanese pound weakening on a
black market.
Fears of economic meltdown
A report from credit rating agency S&P last week sounded the alarm
over the financial situation. Central bank governor Riad Salameh called
on Monday for a solution to the crisis in days to restore confidence and
avoid a future economic meltdown.
Hariri has not spoken in public since Oct. 21 when he announced reforms
including steps to fix gaping holes in the finances of one of the
world’s most heavily indebted states.
He has been pressing his feuding governing partners, including Hezbollah
and President Michel Aoun, to carry out a major cabinet reshuffle to
appease the protesters, but has run into strong opposition, political
sources said.
A major dispute has flared between Hariri and other groups in his
cabinet over the past 48 hours with his opponents accusing him of siding
with protesters and not allowing security forces to remove them from
the streets, the sources said.
Anti-government protesters had shut the Ring Bridge in central Beirut to
traffic for several days, part of an extraordinary wave of unrest
against Lebanese politicians over rampant corruption and dire economic
conditions.
Pro-Hezbollah and Amal crowds chanted in support of Hezbollah leader
Nasrallah and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the head of Amal, as they
scuffled with protesters.
It was the first such attempt to unblock roads in the capital by force. Lebanese police deployed between the groups.
Security forces have been trying to persuade protesters to vacate roads across Lebanon but have orders not to use force.
Nasrallah called last week called for the roads to be cleared and told
his supporters not to go into the protests which have paralyzed the
country since Oct. 17.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television, broadcasting Tuesday’s clashes live,
described them as “big fight” after an “attempt by citizens to open the
road.”