Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud has renamed pro-Syrian Omar Karami as prime minister, just two weeks after he resigned the post following massive opposition protests against Syrian influence in Lebanese politics.
The decision today (Thursday) came after Mr. Lahoud held consultations with parliamentary deputies. The parliament, where Syria's allies have a majority, overwhelmingly advised in favor of reappointing Mr. Karami.
Mr. Karami, a pro-Syrian Sunni Muslim politician, immediately called for a national unity government and urged the opposition to join, saying it is the only way out of Lebanon's crisis.
The opposition, which did not present a candidate, has been demanding a full Syrian withdrawal from the country.
On Tuesday, some of the more than 14-thousand Syrian troops began moving toward Lebanon's eastern border.
United Nations envoy Terje Roed-Larsen is in the region to discuss the U.N. resolution that calls on foreign troops to leave Lebanon.
President Bush says Syrian troops and intelligence agents must leave before Lebanon's May elections