Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, terming Premier Fouad Saniora's government "failure," called for an open-ended protest Friday in downtown Beirut to achieve what he called as "political partnership" in running the country.
Nasrallah, in a televised statement Thursday, described Saniora's cabinet as "a government representing one party … Lebanon should not be ruled by a single party."
The Hizbullah chief said "we are left with the choice of popular protests to press for achieving this goal." Nasrallah said: "A national unity government should be formed. All the Lebanese, from the various regions … and religions are invited to take part in the peaceful, civilized popular protest to express our beliefs and push matters, peacefully, politically and in a civic approach towards achieving this choice."
Nasrallah's call came shortly after a statement released by the opposition leadership which set 3 p.m. Friday a deadline to unleash mass demonstrations to topple Saniora's government.
The statement, carried by Hizbullah's Al-Manar television, said the main task of the new government should be to draw up a new electoral law.
