Siniora says government enjoys people's support

Beirut: Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the Hezbollah-led protests, aimed to topple his government, should stop immediately because they were "paralysing" the country.

His comments came on the eve of the return of the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Amr Mousa, to Beirut to continue his efforts to solve the political standoff between the Leb-anese government and the opposition.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, in his office at the grand Serail where a tight security belt was built, Siniora strongly criticised the opposition, claiming the protests aimed to thwart the establishment of an international tribunal to try the suspects in the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

He stressed the end of the current political crisis lies in the end to the sit-in in downtown Beirut, few yards away from his office.

"This government has the support of the majority in the parliament and the majority of the Lebanese people," he said.