Lebanese minister close to president quits

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's pro-Syrian environment minister resigned on Monday, bringing to six the number of cabinet members to quit the Western-backed government after the collapse of unity talks, a source close to the minister said.

Yacoub Sarraf, who is loyal to pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, tendered his resignation hours before Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was to convene his cabinet to discuss a U.N.-drafted statute for a special court to try the killers of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

Five Shi'ite Muslim ministers from Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal movement, resigned from the cabinet on Saturday after the talks on the pro-Syrian camp's demand for a cabinet reshuffle that would give them effective veto power collapsed.

Lahoud opposed holding a cabinet session on Monday, saying any government meeting after the resignations would be unconstitutional. Siniora dismissed Lahoud's objections and said the meeting would go ahead as planned.