Hariri launches 2nd bid to form Lebanon govt

Lebanon's prime minister-designate Saad Hariri on Thursday launched talks with the country's various political parties in his second bid to form a government since a June election.

Hariri, 39, began his consultations by meeting with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, whose Amal party is in the opposition.

He was then to hold a series of talks until next Tuesday with members of the various other parties, including the militant group Hezbollah which heads the opposition bloc supported by Syria and Iran.

Hariri abandoned his first bid to form a national unity cabinet after failing to secure backing for a proposed line-up from political opponents, who are insisting on having a say as to who should head each ministry.

Analysts say his renewed efforts are likely to prove fruitless barring a thaw in ties between regional powerbrokers Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Hariri's parliamentary majority, which came out victorious in the June vote, is backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

There was hope on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's presence the night before at the launch of a high-tech coed university in Saudi Arabia was a sign of a possible rapprochement between the two states.

"Assad reaches out to King Abdullah... and Lebanon awaits the benefits," read the front-page headline Thursday in the daily As-Safir, which is close to the opposition.

Hariri, the son of slain billionaire ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, was first appointed prime minister on June 27, three weeks after the legislative election.

But he stepped down after failing to secure backing for a proposed line-up that would have included 15 ministers from his camp, 10 from the opposition and five to be appointed by the president.

It was unclear whether he planned to stick to the same formula this time around.

Assad reaches out to King Abdullah... and Lebanon awaits the benefits

As-Safir