Protest-hit Lebanon assembly postpones session citing security

Lebanon's parliament, besieged by protesters, said Tuesday it had indefinitely postponed a session that had been due to discuss controversial draft laws.

"The session has been postponed to a date to be determined later," said parliament official Adnane Daher, reading a statement in front of television cameras, citing "exceptional conditions, in particular security conditions".

Meanwhile, banks reopened for the first time in a week after announcing temporary steps, such as a weekly cap of $1,000 on withdrawals of hard currency and transfers abroad limited to urgent personal expenses, in moves to prevent capital flight.

Lebanon is in serious political and economic crisis a month after nationwide protests began. There is no indication of its leaders agreeing on a new government to replace the outgoing cabinet of Saad al Hariri, who quit as premier on October 29.

Riot police scuffled with a group of protesters who were trying to use a cable to remove a barbed-wire barricade blocking a road near parliament, a Reuters witness said.

The protests have been fuelled by perceptions of corruption among the sectarian politicians who have governed Lebanon for decades and are blamed for leading the country into its worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. 

"How are they holding a session and not responding to the people? Those (MPs) that are in the session have nothing to do with us, and it's not what we asked for," said a protester who gave her name as Maria.

The parliamentary session was originally scheduled for last week but was postponed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for security considerations.

The agenda includes a proposal for a general amnesty that could lead to the release of several thousand prisoners. However, with several large parties opposed to the law, it was not immediately clear if it would pass.