TRIPOLI, Lebanon - A demonstration planned Friday in the northern city of Tripoli to denounce UN calls for the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon was postponed for a week, the premier's office said.
It said the gathering, organized in newly re-appointed Prime Minister Omar Karameh's hometown, was called off because of bad weather, which could affect the turnout.
Organizers had hoped for a turnout of 15,000 people a day after Karameh was asked by Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud to form a new government -- just 10 days after he had resigned as premier in the face of anti-Syrian opposition.
The main square in Tripoli had been blocked and banners hung proclaiming "Yes to Syria," "Yes to a government of national unity" and "No to 1559."
UN Security Security Council Resolution 1559, passed last September, calls for the departure of Syria's 14,000 troops from Lebanon, a demand that intensified following the February 14 assassination of former Lebanese premier minister Rafiq Hariri.
Anti-Syrian forces suspect Syria had a hand in the killing, charges which Damascus has strenously denied.
The movement to oust Syria also triggered vibrant expressions of support for Damascus, with hundreds of thousands of people gathering for a central Beirut rally this week.
Lebanon's Shia Muslim community sees Syria as a force for stability in a country where confessional frictions have been rife in the past.
Following his re-designation as prime minister Thursday, Karame launched an appeal for a government of national unity, an overture rebuffed by the anti-Syrian opposition.
Under pressure Syria has begun a redeployment of its troops to eastern Lebanon, a step that has failed to satisfy either the Lebanese opposition or the United Nations.
Syrian troops entered Lebanon in 1976 to serve as a buffer force between warring Lebanese factions at the start of the country's 1975-1990 civil war.
03/11/2005 10:57 GMT