THE initial euphoria over Lebanon deal has vanished into thin air. Exactly a month after an accord was signed in Doha to end an 18-month power vacuum, Beirut is burning again. Power vacuum continues: the country now has a president, but a national unity government is yet to be finalized. The political crises continue, so do the clashes. Nothing seems to be changing in Lebanon. Fierce sectarian clashes raged on in the north of the country for a second day Monday despite army's pledge to crack down on rioters. At the time of going to the press eight people had died in the port city of Tripoli. What Lebanon needs at present is a strong political will to stem the tide of sectarian violence. This can only be achieved if Prime Minister Fuad Siniora selects a national unity government without any further delay. Foreign intervention must also stop. Action must support the pledge of non-interference in other country's internal affairs. All Lebanese parties must join hands to implement the Doha Accord which calls for the opposition to have veto power over key decisions in the new cabinet and the drafting of a new electoral law before legislative elections next year. It is very unfortunate that the latest clashes have erupted at a time when Arab and European leaders are meeting in Vienna to raise funds for Palestinian refugee camp Nahr Al-Bared destroyed last year during clashes between militants and the Lebanese army. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) estimated that $450 million were needed to rebuild the camp and 15 nearby villages. The security situation in some of these refugee camps is still alarming. There was a blast Sunday near Ain El-Hilweh, the largest camp, in which a senior member of the Jund Al-Sham group was injured. Arab countries have done their part to bring two factions on the discussion table and finalize pacts. It's now up to the Lebanese leaders and people to bring normalcy back to their lives. __
