Lebanon opposition locks horns with govt

Washington's number two Middle East pointman, David Satterfield, was holding talks with opposition figures who have accused the pro-Syrian regime and Damascus of the February 14 killing of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.

Satterfield, deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, met Sunday with Maronite Christian Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, a most vocal opponent to Syria's political domination and military presence in Lebanon.

Satterfield is also due to meet with Foreign Minister Mahmud Hammud on Monday, the day the opposition plans to put a censure motion against the government before parliament.

The opposition and Lebanon's business community have announced a general strike and a demonstration on Monday to coincide with the parliamentary session.

But pro-government groups have called for a counter-demonstration and demanded that officials boycott Satterfield, calling him the "the Bremer of Lebanon" in reference to former Iraq civil administratror Paul Bremer.

Army forces have sealed off parliament square since Saturday when thousands chanted "Syria out" in a human chain protest between Hariri's nearby tomb and the site of the seafront bombing that killed the five-time prime minister.

Lebanese newspapers expressed concern over the security measures and the calls for counter-demonstations by pro-regime groups.