BEIRUT, Dec 8: Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora on Friday accused Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, of plotting a coup d’etat against the Western-backed government.

“His position yesterday showed that he is trying to work on a coup, or at least he is threatening to carry out a coup,” Siniora said.

In a televised address on Thursday, Nasrallah vowed that street protests would continue until the opposition’s demands on forming a new national unity government were achieved.

Nasrallah said the “the doors of negotiation are still open,” but added that if the ruling anti-Syrian majority remained “stubborn... we will not accept any of you to head the next government... we will form an interim government that will hold early elections.”

Speaking inside the government offices in central Beirut to a gathering of mainly Sunni supporters from his native town of Sidon, Siniora said the current government was legitimate.

“This is a country of consensus... it does not work by threats,” he said.

“Only parliament grants or withdraws confidence in the government. We are a democracy.” Siniora heads a government formed in 2005 after parliamentary elections were won by an anti-Syrian majority.

The opposition, led by Hezbollah and including other Shiite and Christian factions, no longer recognises the rump cabinet after six pro-Damascus ministers resigned last month.

“(Nasrallah) told us, we want a blocking minority share (in the government), or else we will take to the streets and we will not leave the streets until we get what we want,” Siniora said.

“This style does not lead to results. Threats do not lead anywhere.” Outside the building where Siniora was speaking, thousands of protesters gathered for the eighth straight day of an open-ended rally aimed at bringing down the government.

The protest itself has not been marked by violence, although street fights in other parts of Beirut resulted in the death of one Shiite opposition supporter this week.

Nasrallah reiterated in his speech on Thursday that the protest would continue to be peaceful, and said: “We refuse civil war and discord.”—AFP