Syrian Semi-Official Daily Voices Support for Miqati

Syria's daily Al-Watan, which is close to the Damascus government, on Wednesday expressed its support for Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati and said he would bring change to the region.

The newspaper added that Lebanon had finally "uncovered the plot" hatched by the West to exploit the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigating the murder of former premier Rafik Hariri.

"Najib Miqati is the man appointed to form a new government in Lebanon ... which will herald changes in political life in Lebanon and around the region.

"More importantly, Lebanon has uncovered the grand plot and dangerous deceptions hatched by Western parties and their proxies within the country," the paper added.

"The March 14 forces have not accepted political failure, they have resorted to (violence), for which they denounced" Hizbullah when it was in opposition, said Al-Watan.

Backed by Hizbullah and its allies, Miqati was asked on Tuesday by President Michel Suleiman to form a government.

Miqati's appointment was denounced by outgoing premier and former ally turned rival Saad Hariri, whose thousands of supporters have demonstrated, sometimes violently, throughout the country to protest the move.

Hizbullah and its allies brought down Hariri's Cabinet by withdrawing their ministers from his cabinet in a pre-emptive response to the STL investigation, which is widely expected to indict Hizbullah members for Rafik Hariri's 2005 assassination.