Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister-designate Omar Karami is reported planning to step down this week after failing to form a government of national unity.
News reports cited his aides as saying Mr. Karami plans to inform President Emile Lahoud about his decision Wednesday.
Mr. Karami was re-appointed to lead a unity government, after he resigned last month in the face of growing anti-Syrian protests sparked by the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Meanwhile, a senior Lebanese Foreign Ministry official is heading to New York for a U.N. Security Council meeting on setting up an international probe into the murder of Mr. Hariri.
A U.N. report has called the Lebanese probe flawed and criticized Syria for creating a security situation in Lebanon that allowed for the killing. The report did not directly blame Syria for the murder and Damascus has denied any involvement.