Pro-Syria PM set to return, seek Lebanon unity govt

BEIRUT, Thursday (Reuters) Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister who was forced to resign last week was set to return to his job on Thursday, faced with the daunting task of forming a government with pro-Damascus allies and anti-Syrian opponents.

More Syrian troops pulled back to eastern Lebanon, with some crossing the border, in the start of a two-phase withdrawal, and President George W. Bush piled pressure on Damascus to end the "heavy-handed" influence of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon.

But pro-Syrian rallies that drew hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets of Beirut and Damascus in the last two days dwarfed previous protests in Beirut demanding the Syrians leave and which led to the ouster of Prime Minister Omar Karami.

A majority of Lebanon's 128 deputies nominated Karami on Wednesday, an outcome sure to irritate the anti-Syrian opposition who pressured him to resign last week.

Lebanon's Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud was now bound to charge Karami with forming a "national unity" government to lead the country to elections scheduled for May, and was expected to make the announcement on Thursday.

Washington said that Syria should not influence the shape of the new lineup, expected to last only two months.