Lebanon

One of the most complex and divided countries in the region, Lebanon has been on the fringes, and at times at the heart, of the Middle East conflict surrounding the creation of Israel.

Since a resurgence of hostilities in 2006, when Israel launched a major military campaign against the Lebanon-based Shia Muslim armed group Hezbollah, the country has struggled to regain the relative stability it enjoyed after the 1975-1990 civil war.

A small, mountainous country, Lebanon was under French mandate until independence in 1943. Its population is a mixture of Christian sects, Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Druze and others, having been a refuge for the region's persecuted minorities.

Government structures are divided between the various groups. Lebanon has also seen several large influxes of Palestinian refugees, most of whom have limited legal status.

From 1975 until the early 1990s Lebanon suffered a bloody civil war in which regional powers - particularly Israel, Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organisation - used the country as a battlefield for their own conflicts.

Syrian troops moved in shortly after the war started. Israeli troops invaded in 1978 and again in 1982 before pulling back to a self-declared "security zone" in the south from which they withdrew in May 2000.

Syria exerts considerable political clout in Lebanon, although it withdrew its troops in 2005, ending a 29-year military presence.

This followed the assassination in Beirut of former prime minister Rafik Hariri . Lebanese groups then in opposition accused Syria of involvement; Damascus denied the charge. Huge pro- and anti-Syria rallies were held in Beirut, triggering the government's downfall and the Syrian pullout. The Hariri case appeared to have taken a major step forward on 1 March 2009 when an international court into the killing opened in the Hague.

By autumn 2010, the issuing of indictments over the Hariri killing was thought to be imminent, raising fears that if the UN-led tribunal accuses the Syrian- and Iranian-backed militant Shia group Hezbollah of involvement in his murder, this could spark off a new round of sectarian conflict.

March 14 - Coalition that retained parliamentary majority in June 2009 elections; pro-western members pushed for exit of Syrian forces; named after mass demonstrations that followed killing of ex-premier Rafik Hariri Hezbollah - Pro-Syrian Shia political party with a large armed wing that resisted Israel in the war of July 2006. The United States consider it to be a terrorist organisation Amal - Pro-Syrian Shia political party led by parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri; allied with Hezbollah Free Patriotic Movement - Largely Christian party led by former army chief Michel Aoun; has ties with Hezbollah

The UN has demanded the dismantling of all armed groups in Lebanon, including Palestinian militias and the military wing of Hezbollah, which controls much of southern Lebanon.

When Hezbollah militia seized two Israeli soldiers in a raid in July 2006, Israel responded with a 34-day military offensive and a blockade. Around 1,000 Lebanese, most of them civilians, were killed. The damage to civilian infrastructure was wide-ranging.

International peacekeepers were drafted in to help police a UN-brokered ceasefire. But Hezbollah's leader has rejected calls for the movement to disarm and political divisions in Beirut cloud the issue of what should be done about the group's military presence in the south.

With its high literacy rate and traditional mercantile culture, Lebanon has traditionally been an important commercial hub for the Middle East.

Full name: The Lebanese Republic Population: 4.3 million (UN, 2010) Capital: Beirut Area: 10,452 sq km (4,036 sq miles) Major language: Arabic Major religions: Islam, Christianity Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 75 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 Lebanese pound (or lira) = 100 piastres Main exports: Foodstuffs and tobacco GNI per capita: US $7,970 (World Bank, 2009) Internet domain: .lb International dialling code: +961

President: Michel Suleiman

The Lebanese parliament finally elected General Michel Suleiman as president in May 2008 after six months of political stalemate that followed the departure of the previous president, Emile Lahoud, in November 2007.

President Suleiman's refusal to take sides has won him respect

The agreement that paved the way for his election ended some of the worst factional violence since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.

As mounting clashes raised fears of a renewed civil war, the Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition agreed on General Suleiman - the head of the country's armed forces - as a compromise candidate.

On taking office, the new president hailed the opening of a new phase in Lebanese history, saying that his fellow countrymen had "refused to succumb to self-destruction".

General Suleiman stood unopposed for the presidency, and is widely seen as a unifying figure, whose apparent neutrality has earned him the respect of both sides of the political divide. He is credited with having kept the army on the sidelines in times of political crisis.

He is a Maronite Christian, and so his election also met the requirement of Lebanon's complex power-sharing system that the presidency should be held by a member of that sect.

Prime minister-designate: Najib Mikati

Najib Mikati was appointed as Lebanon's prime minister-designate on 25 January 2011. He was asked to form a new government after winning the support of a majority of members of parliament.

Mr Mikati describes himself as a moderate

Months later, his efforts to secure an agreement between the rival factions appeared to be mired in an intractable deadlock.

The wealthy Sunni businessman was nominated for the post by the Shia Islamist movement Hezbollah, following the collapse of the national unity government headed by Saad Hariri.

Hezbollah toppled Mr Hariri after he refused to end co-operation with the UN tribunal investigating the assassination of his father, Rafik, in 2005. Hezbollah members have reportedly been implicated in the killing.

A former prime minister, Mr Mikati is seen as a relatively neutral figure who is acceptable to key regional power brokers like Syria and Saudi Arabia.

The 55-year-old telecoms tycoon first entered politics in 1998 and was last elected to parliament in 2009 as an ally of Mr Hariri.

He describes himself as a moderate who is dedicated to the unity of Lebanon. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Mikati insisted that although he needed the votes of Hezbollah and its allies, he remained independent.

One of the main stumbling blocks standing in the way of Mr Mikati's efforts to form a government is the entrenched positions taken by the opposing political parties with regards to the UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).

Hezbollah is adamant that it will not cooperate with the STL, while the March 14 coalition led by Saad Hariri insists that the tribunal's decisions should be implemented.

Lebanon's broadcasting scene is well-developed, lively and diverse, reflecting the country's pluralism and divisions.

It was the first Arab country to permit private radio and television stations. But the government has a say over who may operate stations and whether or not they can broadcast news. Several stations are owned by leading politicians.

Press freedom body Reporters Without Borders says the media have more freedom in Lebanon than in any other Arab country, but nevertheless face "political and judicial machinations".

Most broadcasters were set up after the civil war by Muslim and Christian factions. Commercial operators Future TV and LBC attract the lion's share of the viewing audience. Take-up of satellite and cable TV is widespread.

Al-Manar TV, backed by the militant group Hezbollah, has aroused controversy. A French court banned the station's satellite channel in 2004 on grounds of anti-Semitism, and it has also been banned in Spain, Germany and the United States. The station was targeted by Israeli air raids during military operations against Hezbollah in 2006.

There are dozens of private radio stations. Broadcasts from BBC Arabic and Radio France Internationale are carried by partner stations.

Criticism of officials and policies is carried daily in dozens of newspapers and hundreds of periodicals. While there are no censorship laws, restrictions in press laws forbid the media from defaming the president or other heads of state and from inciting sectarian strife.

By June 2010, Lebanon had around 1 million internet users (Internetworldstats.com). OpenNet Initiative says Lebanon is one of very few countries in the Middle East where it has found no evidence of technical filtering.

The press:

Television:

Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) - commercial, market leader and pan-regional broadcaster; channels comprise LBC Sat, LBC Europe, LBC Sat America, LBC Sat Australia and LBC Nagham Future TV - commercial; channels comprise Future International, Future News and Future TV USA; owned by Hariri family Tele-Liban - state-run Al-Manar (The Beacon) TV - pro-Hezbollah

Radio:

News agency:

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