1.
SV INTERIOR OF Prime Minister's office, Karami entering his new office
0.10

2.
SV Former Prime Minister Salam and Mr. Edde entering office
0.21

3.
SV Pierre Gemayel entering
0.29

4.
GV Prime Minister Karami speaking in Arabic (2 shots)
0.46

5.
SV Newsmen
0.51

6.
GV Former Prime Minister Salam speaking in English
1.49


"What are the constitutional ways of having a President resign if he does not want to ?"



"We stick to our democratic system, bad as it is, i admit, for the good reason we can have a much worse system. There are certain clues and procedural ways for doing this and it can be done but it and it can be done but it can be done in both ways. Either the man responsible resigning or it can be done through a constitutional procedure through parliament. And there is no other way. Otherwise this situation is going to continue and perhaps aggravate and a blood both can be much worse than the one we have been experiencing."



MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE COMMITTEE ARRIVING AT THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE TO DISCUSS THE SITUATION: FORMER PRIME MINISTER, SAEB SALAM: MR. RAYMOND EDDE: FALANGIST CHIEF PIERRE GEMAYEL ARRIVING: PRIME MINISTER, KARAMI, SPEAKING IN ARABIC: SALAM SPEAKING IN ENGLISH.



SYNOPSIS: In Beirut, members of Lebanon's rival factions have met with Prime Minister Rashid Karami, for the third meeting of the National Dialogue Committee.



The former Prime Minister, Mr. Saeb Salam, and the leader of the National Bloc Party, Mr. Raymond Edde, said after the meeting that they were "reconsidering" their membership of the Committee.



The leader of the right-wing Falangist Party, whose supporters have been engaged in heavy fighting with left-wing Moslem groups, also attended the meeting.



Both Mr. Salam and Mr. Edde later called for the resignation of the Lebanese President, Suleiman Franjieh, because of the failure to halt the factional violence which has brought Lebanon to the brink of civil war. Mr. Salam said the President had lost the support of the people.



Mr. Salam explained to reporters how he would obtain the President's resignation.



"What are the ....."



... been experiencing"




Initials CL/0100


This film is serviced with an interview with former Prime Minister, Saeb Salam. The interview is in English. A transcript appears below.

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Two of Lebanon's leading politicians, including the former Premier, Saeb Salam, have called on the Lebanese President, Suleiman Franjieh, to resign.

The same call for the President's resignation was made by the Leader of the National Bloc Party, Mr. Raymond Edde.

Mr. Salam, who tried to vain to form a government under President Franjieh last year, said that no government "can save Lebanon when the man primarily responsible has lost the confidence of the people".

Mr. Edde recalled that the late President of Egypt, Abdul Nasser, offered his resignation when Israel had such a resounding victory in the 1967 war ... and suggested that President Franjieh should do the same after the failure to control Lebanese factional violence.

Heavy fighting has been continuing throughout lebanon between Moslem left-wing gunmen and Christian right-wing guerrillas.

Beirut's southern suburbs were shattered with rocket and mortar explosions on Thursday (2 October) and gunmen and troops clashed at Beirut airport Saturday (4 October) leaving one of the gunmen and a soldier dead.

Both Mr. Salam and Mr. Edde said they were reconsidering their position as members of the 20-man National Dialogue Committee, a body set up last week to tackle the political and social causes of the factional violence which has brought Lebanon almost to the edge of civil war.