The World - News from Sept. 27, 1988

Lebanese Maj. Gen. Michel Aoun failed to win Arab recognition for his fledgling Christian military Cabinet in a struggle for power with a rival Syrian-backed Muslim government. Of the Iraqi, Tunisian and Egyptian diplomats who attended a meeting at the presidential palace, apparently none made any commitment to Aoun’s Cabinet, while other Arab envoys boycotted the session. At the same time, Syria, which supports the rival Muslim government led by Salim Hoss, stepped up its criticism of Aoun’s Cabinet. President Amin Gemayel appointed Aoun, a fellow Maronite Catholic, premier on Thursday, five minutes before Gemayel’s six-year term ended. Parliament repeatedly failed to elect a successor to Gemayel.