PM scrapes in

BEIRUT (Reuter) - The Lebanese Prime Minister, Rashid al- Solh, narrowly escaped defeat in a general election in which Christians have refused to take part and pro-Syrian candidates have so far won the lion's share of seats.

Official results released yesterday showed Mr Solh, a Sunni Muslim who leads Lebanon's Syrian-backed government, was a few hundred votes away from defeat. Two of his ministers lost their seats. Political sources said Mr Solh's poor showing and that of his ministers reflected public distrust of his government, which has struggled to control a collapsing economy.