Hariri steps aside

Lebanon's outgoing prime minister said Tuesday he will not head the next government, in a move intended to speed up the formation of a new cabinet in the protest-swept country.

Street protests demanding an overhaul of Lebanon's entire political system have rocked the small Mediterranean country since mid-October, forcing Saad Hariri to announce his cabinet's resignation on October 29.

Its bitterly divided political leaders have yet to form a new cabinet, with the United Nations on Monday urging the process be accelerated after supporters of Lebanon's two main Shiite parties attacked protesters.

In response to the "irresponsible practises" of the political leadership, Hariri said he felt compelled to make his position known. "I strongly adhere to the rule of 'not me, but someone else' to form a government to fulfil the ambitions of the youth," the driving force of the protest movement, Hariri said.

He hoped his move would "open doors to a solution" and swiftly lead to a presidential "call for binding parliamentary consultations to appoint a new premier".

Hariri's outgoing cabinet is serving in a caretaker capacity as leaders haggle over the make-up of the next government.

President Michel Aoun, whose powers include initiating parliamentary consultations to appoint a new premier, has yet to schedule such talks.

The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), a Christian party founded by Aoun, has accused Hariri of delaying the process by refusing to accept any other candidate for the premiership, a charge the Sunni Muslim has denied.

Aoun himself has accused the premier of being "indecisive", a charge which Hariri refuted in his statement on Tuesday.

Forming a government can take months in Lebanon, with sectarian and party leader seeking to protect their own community's interests. This time, the task is complicated further by protesters' demands for a government of technocrats.