Take the Lahoud plan seriously

The Lebanese parliamentary majority, led by MP Sa'ad Hariri, should think twice before dismissing the presidential proposal to form an emergency government.

Initial reaction from the Hariri camp is against the idea, floated on Tuesday by President Emile Lahoud. The plan is intended to find a way out of the country's current political and security troubles.

The idea - to set up a six-member emergency cabinet - seems to have the support of the opposition and the powerful Maronite church. The majority, which controls the government, cannot pretend all is fine.

The six-month-old opposition protests in Beirut and the recent attack on the army by Fatah Al Islam militants threaten the very unity of the small country.

Lebanon looks heading towards yet another long and hot summer. As the UN special tribunal, to try suspects in the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, is all set to be adopted by the UN Security Council, the majority camp can no longer claim a new government would be aimed to stop international efforts to set up the tribunal and protect Rafik Hariri's killers.

The future of Lebanon - as a country of unique religious and ethnic co-existence - is today at stake. The Hariri camp should take the Lahoud plan seriously.