Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister who was forced to resign last week was set to return to his job on Thursday, faced with the daunting task of forming a government with pro-Damascus allies and anti-Syrian opponents.

More Syrian troops pulled back to eastern Lebanon, with some crossing the border, in the start of a two-phase withdrawal, and US President Bush piled pressure on Damascus to end the "heavy-handed" influence of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon.

But pro-Syrian rallies that drew hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets of Beirut and Damascus in the last two days dwarfed previous protests in Beirut demanding the Syrians leave and which led to the ouster of Prime Minister Omar Karami.

A majority of Lebanon's 128 deputies nominated Karami on Wednesday, an outcome sure to irritate the anti-Syrian opposition who pressured him to resign last week.

Lebanon's Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud was now bound to charge Karami with forming a "national unity" government to lead the country to elections scheduled for May, and was expected to make the announcement on Thursday.

Washington said that Syria should not influence the shape of the new lineup, expected to last only two months.

"This new government should reflect the will of the Lebanese people, not of Damascus," said State Department spokeswoman Darla Jordan. "There should be no further attempt by the governments of Syria and Lebanon to intimidate or sideline the Lebanese opposition in the run up to parliamentary elections."

Parliamentary polls

Bush said Washington and its allies were considering what steps to take if Syria refused to fully withdraw to ensure that the parliamentary polls are free.

"We're working with friends and allies about steps forward, what to do," he told reporters in Washington.

"In order for those elections to be free in Lebanon, the Syrians must remove their troops as well as their intelligence services," Bush said.

Karami submitted the resignation of his government last week after large protests in Beirut, but stayed on as caretaker.

Forming a national unity government will be a monumental challenge for the Sunni Muslim politician. To succeed, he will have to persuade some opposition figures to join or end up with a pro-Syrian lineup akin to that which resigned with him.

The mainly Christian Maronite and Druze opposition wants a government made up of people not running in the election, fearing a pro-Syrian government would manipulate results.

Two MPs representing more than 40 opposition deputies met Lahoud, but made no nominations and instead discussed demands.

They want Syrian-backed Lebanese security chiefs to resign and a complete Syrian pull-out, as well as an international probe into the Feb. 14 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, which they blamed on Damascus.

Rival rallies touched off by the killing have revealed deep rifts among the Lebanese over Syria's role and the future of Hizbollah, the country's last militia.

Witnesses said dozens of army trucks carrying troops and rocket launchers and others towing artillery guns left positions in northern Lebanon late on Wednesday and crossed into Syria.

Lebanese soldiers stood by, ready to take over the vacated positions.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lahoud agreed on Monday to shift Syrian troops to eastern Lebanon by March 31. The Syrian and Lebanese military would then decide how long those troops would stay.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's envoy Terje Roed-Larsen was to travel to the region on Thursday to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanese President Emile Lahoud.

"I am highly interested, after my envoy comes back to report to me at the end of the discussions, on how quickly the withdrawal can take place and I hope he will be able to come back with a full timetable," Annan said.

(Chinadaily.com via agencies March 10, 2005)