Lebanese confidence vote

Press, 12 June 1984, Page 6

Lebanese confidence vote

NZPA-Reuter Beirut The Lebanese Parliament resumes its debate on whether to support Prime Minister Rashid Karami’s “National Unity” Government yesterday after a week-end of heavy fighting between party militias represented in the Cabinet. Mr Karami is expected to win a vote of confidence from the 90-member chamber later this week despite vociferous opposition from Right-wing Christians who say they doubt his ability to restore law and order in and around Beirut. Two people were killed

and about 45 wounded in week-end shooting and shelling across the ‘green line” which divides the city into a Christian east and a Muslim-held west. Sporadic clashes with machine-guns and grenades continued overnight between Druse and Shi’ite Muslim fighters in the west and the Lebanese Army and Christian forces in the east. Political sources linked the fighting to the confidence debate, which has revealed deep divisions between the radical Muslim Ministers and their conservative Christian colleagues.

The Muslims, especially the Shi’ite leader, Nabih Berri, are eager to see the Cabinet carry out political reforms reducing the traditional privileges of the Maronite community. They accuse the Rightists of trying to undermine Mr Karami by military activity and by letting their political subordinates speak against him in Parliament. Several times last week deputies close to the Rightwing Christian Lebanese front, whose two most prominent members are Cabinet Ministers, told the House they would not support the new Prime Minister in the vote of confid-

ence. The Rightists, in turn, say Mr Bern’s Amal movement and its Druse allies are fighting to strengthen the political gains they have already made this year. The Opposition has concentrated its attack on Mr Karami’s request for special powers to rule by decree for nine months. Even some supporters say they have reservations. Mr Karami and Mr Berri, who is Minister of State for the Israeli-occupied south, say they need the powers to unravel the mass of decrees issued by the previous government of Shafiq Al-Waz-zan.