The World - News from Oct. 5, 1989
Amid warnings from Iran, Lebanese lawmakers meeting in Saudi Arabia debated scrapping a 46-year-old pact that divides government jobs along sectarian lines. Although they agreed earlier to revamp Parliament with an equal number of Muslims and Christians, any accord must win the support of powerful warlords who have controlled much of Lebanon since fighting began in 1975. Meanwhile, Iran’s official news agency quoted Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani as warning the lawmakers not to surrender to domination by Maronite Catholics. And Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati rejected decisions made by the lawmakers on grounds they failed to hand over the bulk of political power to Muslims.
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