The radical Shiite movement made clear it was not satisfied with Siniora’s appointment, saying “he did not reflect the spirit of national unity called for in last week’s Arab-brokered accord reached in Doha.”

“His nomination is a recipe for conflict rather than reconciliation,” Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun warned. “It seems the ruling bloc, rather than battling for a new Lebanon, is seeking to unleash a new conflict.”

He added, however, that his camp would not stand in the way of forming a new government and said that his bloc would be represented in the new Cabinet. An opposition member who is close to Syria, Wiaam Wahab, warned that “any new adventure by the ruling majority will not pass from now on.”

Wahab, who can be described as a hard-liner, referred to the May 7 clashes and hinted “that something like this could easily takes place again.” Clashes erupted between the opposition and the majority — resulting in the deaths of 82 people — after Siniora’s government decided to probe a private Hezbollah communication network.

Siniora, 64, will begin consultations today with various parliamentary blocs on forming a Cabinet in line with the Doha accord that set the rules for the partnership between the majority, the opposition and President Michel Suleiman.

Following his appointment on Wednesday, Siniora vowed to bridge the gaps separating the rival factions. “I extend my hand for cooperation and solidarity so that our country can achieve the breakthroughs it deserves,” Siniora said.

Siniora, a Sunni Muslim and close ally of slain former Premier Rafik Hariri, has been prime minister since 2005 and headed a caretaker government since Suleiman’s election by Parliament on Sunday.

Much of Siniora’s previous term was dominated by the standoff with the opposition that withdrew its ministers from his government late in 2006 in a bid to force Siniora to resign. The parliamentary majority decided to keep Siniora in his post to allow Saad Hariri, son of Rafik Hariri, to prepare for legislative elections next year.

Siniora said he would seek to bridge the gaps among all the rival parties as he embarks on a new term and seeks to form a government of national unity. “I extend my hand for cooperation and solidarity so that our country can achieve the breakthroughs it deserves,” he said.

Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy praised Damascus’ efforts to help end the Lebanon crisis during a phone call with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad yesterday, Syrian state media reported.

The call signaled a thaw in relations between Syria and France, which last year rebuked Damascus over what it said was its failure to help resolve the conflict. In December, Sarkozy ordered his government to halt diplomatic contacts with Syria. Sarkozy, whose foreign minister failed last year to mediate an end to the crisis, “praised the intensive efforts made by (Assad) to make the Doha agreement succeed,” Syrian news agency SANA reported in Damascus. -Agencies