Agency report

Beirut, Nov 24 (mb): Lebanon was again plunged into uncertainty yesterday after parliament failed in a fifth attempt to elect a president, and the former Syrian backed-president Emile Lahoud, whose term ended at midnight, passed control of the security services over to the army, declaring a state of emergency.

The US-backed government of Fouad Siniora rejected the declaration. "It is as if the statement was never issued," said Siniora. The constitution says a president cannot call a state of emergency without government approval, but Lahoud and the Hizbullah-led opposition view the cabinet as unconstitutional following the walk out of its Shia ministers last year.

The country is now in a presidential vacuum, with thousands of troops deployed across Beirut, and is likely to stay that way until the elections, postponed until next Friday, are attempted again.

Neither side seems clear on what the army's mandate will be, with some expecting it to play a noticeably greater role in managing the state and others anticipating a continuation of the status quo. Few Lebanese have expressed surprise at the move. It is generally seen as a stalling measure to give the two camps more time to find a way out of the impasse.

Some constitutional experts have said the move is meaningless and analysts say Lahoud's offer was vague enough for the army to interpret it as it pleases.

"This is essentially a military authority to oversee negotiations, but if the government takes over Lahoud's responsibilities, the opposition will escalate," said Amal Saad Ghorayeb of the Carnegie Middle East Centre. "But if the army steps in and assumes a greater role in the managing of the state, the opposition will stay silent and focus on negotiations."

The government had said it would elect its own president without the participation of the opposition if a solution could not be reached. The opposition has said any such move is tantamount to a "coup". If the two sides cannot agree on a candidate, the opposition has threatened to set up a second government operating in tandem, as was the case at the end of Lebanon's 15-year civil war.

Washington made a statement after Lahoud's announcement calling for calm and pledging support to the Lebanese army and security services. The US state department appealed for Lebanon's military and security services to uphold the law and for political actors to negotiate.

It made no reference to Lahoud's emergency declaration, however, and said Washington understood that when his term expires "the Lebanese cabinet will temporarily assume executive powers and responsibilities until a new president is elected by Lebanon's parliament".

State department spokesman Sean McCormack said: "This is the procedure stipulated by the Lebanese constitution and will ensure that the government is able to continue conducting its business without interruption.

"The US government commends Lebanon's armed forces and security services for their stated commitment to ensuring law and order during this interim period, and we urge all Lebanese political groups to do their part to maintain calm and promote security for Lebanon's citizens."

In a travel alert, the state department noted Lahoud's action and said the election process "may pose security issues" for US citizens and others in the country.