Google News CNN - BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Thousands of Hezbollah supporters camped out in tents in central Beirut Saturday as the Shiite Muslim guerrilla group and its allies kept up the pressure on the U.S.-backed government of Fouad Siniora to resign.
Hezbollah officials said their campaign, which has disrupted life in the capital's commercial district, will not stop until their demand for a national unity government is fulfilled. But the government showed no sign of backing down in a confrontation that has the potential to turn violent and tear apart the country.
Siniora reiterated he would not step down as long as his government enjoyed Parliament's backing. "The only way to solve the problem is to sit together behind a table and discuss all our differences," he told reporters Saturday.
The street action has been largely peaceful so far. On Friday, hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah supporters flooded downtown Beirut, the Lebanese capital, in a massive demonstration, chanting nationalist slogans and songs just outside the main government offices.
Barbed wire and armored vehicles separated the demonstrators from government headquarters where Prime Minister Siniora and some of his ministers have hunkered down.
Chants of 'Siniora out!'
Following the demonstration, participants set up hundreds of white tents across the downtown area -- a dozen of so just 50 meters (yards) from Siniora's offices.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station said about 500 tents were pitched in central Beirut.
On Saturday, the demonstrators kept up the noisy, carnival-like protests with occasional shouts of "Siniora out!"
Hezbollah supporters set up water tanks and portable latrines and distributed sandwiches, tea and coffee to those camped out. Young men sprawled lazily on mats in and outside their white tents under the bright, warm sun. Some read newspapers, others smoked waterpipes. Dozens of white-capped Hezbollah workers swept the streets, littered with leftover food and drink from the night before.
"Yesterday's demonstration was just the beginning. There are a lot of other surprises on the way," said Ali Ammar, an 18-year-old who had just woken up. "This government lost the trust of the people a long time ago, and we will not stop until it goes," the information technology student added.
Outside a nearby tent, men were performing their prayers on the pavement.
"If Siniora had one ounce of feeling, he would resign," said Aya Mughniyeh, a 20-year-old Hezbollah supporter dressed in black from head to toe.
A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the sit-in will continue until its goals are achieved.
Hezbollah wants a third of Cabinet seats
Friday's protest was the opening volley in Hezbollah's campaign of open-ended demonstrations. The event could be a watershed for the future of Lebanese politics, torn between anti-Syrian politicians who control the government and pro-Syrian forces led by Hezbollah.
Hezbollah and its allies demand a third of the seats in Siniora's Cabinet -- enough to veto its decisions -- and have vowed to continue their campaign until the government falls. They cite Lebanon's constitution, which says the Cabinet should represent all the country's religious groups.
Siniora and his supporters call the campaign a coup attempt led by neighboring Syria and its ally Iran, a stance echoed by Washington. Hezbollah and its allies contend the real fight is against American influence, saying the United States now dominates Lebanon in the interests of Israel.
Lebanon is one of a number of areas in the Middle East where the United States and Iran are vying for influence.
"We do remain very concerned that Hezbollah and its allies, with support from Syria and the Iranian government, are continuing to work to destabilize Lebanon," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said. "The demonstrations are aimed at toppling Lebanon's legitimate and democratically elected government."
John Bolton, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said the Hezbollah demonstration was "part of the Iran-Syria-inspired coup d'etat."
Siniora also has French backing. In a telephone call, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin told the embattled Lebanese premier he had "France's full support," de Villepin's office said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
Syrian state-run newspapers, meanwhile, voiced support for the Hezbollah protest action with one daily calling it "the most sincere expression" of Lebanon's reality and national unity. "Will the government respond, or is it determined to lead Lebanon into the unknown?" it asked.
Siniora insists only Parliament can change government
Lebanon now faces a dangerous battle of nerves that could last for days. Siniora and his allies appear determined to hunker down until Hezbollah abandons its protests. The pro-Syrian camp aims to paralyze the country until Siniora is forced to resign and form a new government.
Even as both sides urge restraint, many fear the standoff, if it drags on, could erupt into street clashes. At the very least, the protests exacerbate tensions between Lebanon's divided communities. The government is largely backed by Sunni Muslims and Christians, while Shiite Muslims support Hezbollah, along with Christian allies.
Siniora has insisted only Parliament -- where his allies hold the majority by five votes -- can change his government. The only other way the government would fall is if two members of his Cabinet resign. New Parliament elections are due in 2009.
Hezbollah's support among Shiites skyrocketed after its strong showing in the summer's war with Israel, and that has in part emboldened the group to demand a greater role in government.