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Fresh Clashes Resume in North Lebanon
TRIPOLI, June 23--Fierce clashes resumed on Monday in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, prompting civilians to flee or hide in underground shelters, a security official said.
At least two people were wounded as fighters in the densely populated Bab al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen districts traded heavy machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
Several homes as well as a gas station
were on fire as the army surrounded the area in a bid to contain the violence.
On Sunday at least four people were killed and 33 wounded when the fighting erupted, pitting supporters of the ruling majority against
Alawites loyal to the opposition. One of those wounded died on Monday, bringing the death toll to five.
The violence comes amid stalled efforts by Prime Minister Fuad Siniora to form a government of national unity
following a deal last month that ended an 18-month political crisis that brought the country close to civil war.
Fears have mounted in recent days that the security situation could deteriorate with clashes erupting in
various parts of the country between supporters of the Western-backed majority and the opposition.
Policeman Samer Rashid was hit by a stray bullet inside his home in the eastern al-Qobbe district of the northern port
city of Tripoli , a security official said.
Another man, Bourhane al-Khatib, died after being hit by a bullet in the heart during clashes at Jabal Mohsen, said a medic after the 22-year-old was taken to a hospital in the
nearby Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp.
According to a security official, many of those wounded were caught in the crossfire and hit by stray bullets while inside their homes.
The fighting began at 4:15 am (0115
GMT) in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, northern districts of Tripoli , a security official said.
A military spokesman said that "the army is still deployed in the zone which separates the two sides and has not
altered its position."
"The fighting has eased in intensity and we are working to contain it," the spokesman added.
But armed men could still be seen on street corners leading to Bab al-Tebbaneh.
Similar clashes took place in various regions early in May when 65 people were killed, stoking fears that the country, which endured 15 years of civil war up to 1990, was heading for a new conflict.
Last Tuesday,
three people were killed in clashes between pro-and anti-government residents in two villages in the Bekaa, in eastern Lebanon , according to a Lebanese military official.
An accord reached in Doha on May 21 between the
opposition and government ended an 18-month-long political crisis which sparked the clashes.
The agreement resulted in the election of Michel Sleiman as president, ending a six-month vacuum in the top job.
Sunday's clashes occurred amid a continuing failure to set up a national unity government, which was envisaged by the Doha agreement.
On Saturday, Siniora rejected the opposition calls to step down and vowed to continue
his attempts to form a national unity Cabinet.
For more than three weeks, Siniora has been trying to set up a Cabinet lineup acceptable to both the majority and the opposition.
The Lebanese daily As-Safir reported
Saturday that the opposition has issued Siniora with a 48-hour deadline to either form the Cabinet or step down.
Legislator Ghassan Tueni, a member of the parliamentary majority, also urged Siniora to step down, saying
the prime minister was unable to form a Cabinet amid political obstacles set up by rival factions.
If Siniora fails to form a Cabinet by next Tuesday, Tueni said, "let him step down. This will be much better for
him."
But Siniora ignored the resignation calls, vowing to stay on until a new Cabinet is formed and described the opposition deadline as an attempt at "intimidation.''
"As long as the majority is
determined to put its confidence in the prime minister-designate, this talk (of a deadline) is in vain,'' Siniora told reporters Saturday.
Differences between the pro- and anti-government camps over the distribution of
the four key sovereign ministerial portfolios -- defense, interior, finance and foreign affairs -- are holding up the formation of the new Cabinet.
Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun, a key ally of Hezbollah,
insists that one of the four key ministries -- mainly the defense -- should be allotted to his parliamentary bloc.
This has been rejected by Siniora who said the defense and interior portfolios should be allotted to
someone loyal to the president.
On Saturday, Siniora repeated his offer to the opposition to choose either the finance or foreign affairs ministers.
The Doha deal calls for a 30-member national unity Cabinet in
which Hezbollah and its opposition allies have veto power over government decisions.
It also gives 16 Cabinet seats to the parliament majority, the opposition gets 11 seats and three remaining seats are to be distributed
by the president.
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