Miqati Says he Will Not Step Down, Rejects to be Held Responsible for Hasan 'Blood'

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Saturday that he will not step down currently, lashing out at the March 14-led opposition accusations that held him responsible for Intelligence Bureau head Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan's “blood.”

“I will not resign now and I will not allow for this to create a new crisis in the country,” Miqati told MTV.

The assassination of Hasan last week has raised fears about unrest in the country, which is divided between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose country supervised its small neighbor for nearly 30 years.

The premier pointed out that he reached out to the opposition when he announced that his resignation is possible as he isn't holding on to power but “it accused me of being responsible for the blood” of Hasan.

He noted that if he submitted his resignation now then “I would be admitting to the opposition's accusations.”

“Let them revise their actions so that I revise mine,” Miqati said.

The March 14 coalition blamed Miqati for Hasan’s “blood” and called on him to step down.

The March 14 youth groups had erected tents near the Grand Serail, demanding Miqati to resign after clashes broke out between mourners, mainly March 14 supporters, and the security forces near the premier's office after the funeral of Hasan.

Police fired in the air and used tear gas to drive back protesters who tried to storm the premier's office.

The Ashrafiyeh bombing in Beirut that killed Hasan along with two others deepened the gap between the March 14 alliance and the March 8 camp.

According to MTV, the cabinet will convene on Wednesday at the Baabda Palace.

President Michel Suleiman is carrying out consultations with rival political parties to convince them to resume the national dialogue.

However, the March 14-led opposition insists on the resignation of the government as a main condition for the resumption of the national dialogue and official activity with their foes, while the March 8 coalition rejects the formation of a new cabinet on allegations that there's no alternative.