Lebanon president renames Hariri as PM-designate

Lebanon's president on Wednesday gave the leader of the Western-backed parliament majority a second chance to form the government after Hezbollah and its allies stymied his previous effort.

President Michel Suleiman reappointed Saad Hariri as prime minister-designate, but it's unclear what has changed that would allow him to succeed now after failing to break the deadlock over the past three months.

Suleiman made the appointment after the two days of consultations with lawmakers showed most of them still wanted Hariri for premier.

Hariri's pro-Western coalition defeated a Hezbollah-led alliance in the June parliamentary elections but failed to secure enough seats to rule alone.

Hariri tried for weeks to set up a national unity government that would include the Hezbollah bloc, but abandoned efforts after his proposed Cabinet list was rejected last week by the Hezbollah-led parliament minority.

The president summoned Saad Hariri and asked him to form the government, said a terse statement issued by Suleiman's office.

A total of 73 lawmakers of the 128-member legislature voiced support for Hariri as prime minister, a drop from the 86 votes he got in June.

He lost the support of parliament speaker Nabih Berri's 13-seat bloc, an ally of Hezbollah.

Shortly after his reappointment, Hariri, son of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, pledged to form what he called an all-embracing, effective and united government to confront challenges.

The Lebanese want a government that runs the country's affairs and not merely serve as a table to debate political rhetoric, Hariri told reporters after his meeting with Suleiman.

Hariri said he will begin wide-scale consultations with parliamentary blocs, including Hezbollah, after the Eid el-Fitr holiday, to form a government that can ensure stability, safety and progress.

The Eid el-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, falls either on Sunday or Monday.