Lahoud, under the terms of the constitution, will first have to choose the new prime minister, though senior government sources told AFP that Hariri who submitted his resignation late Tuesday was likely to retain the job.

The president and prime minister then choose the 30 members of the cabinet, taking into account the balance in parliament.

"The ministerial reshuffle was imposed by regional developments," said Lahoud's press attache, Rafiq Shlala.

The move comes as Syria comes under growing US pressure, with Washington accusing Damascus of possessing banned chemical weapons and harbouring wanted Iraqi officials on the run from the US-led coalition which toppled President Saddam Hussein.

According to political sources, Syria is seeking a reinforced government lineup to face up to the new realities in the region since the war in Iraq.

For their part, members of the anti-Syrian Christian Lebanese opposition led by Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, voiced concerns they were likely to be sidelined in the reshuffle.

"We want a national unity government, but if it is simply a patch-up, I am not interested," MP Boutros Harb, who is slated for a ministerial position, told AFP.

Fellow Christian opposition MP Nassib Lahoud called for "a national unity government that will undertake democratic reforms and realign Syrian-Lebanese ties to respect Lebanon's sovereignty and the strategic interests," of both states.

But he told AFP that "unfortunately things are not going in this direction."

The same concerns were voiced in the Muslim opposition camp, with former prime minister Omar Karame, also slated for a post, saying he refused "to take part in this masquerade".

A pro-Syrian MP told AFP on Tuesday, on condition of anonymity, that negotiations for a new cabinet had already taken place and deputies had been informed of the reshuffle directly by Damascus.

Syria has an estimated 20,000 troops stationed in Lebanon.

SPACE.WIRE