Lebanon's premier Fouad Seniora defended Saturday the performance of his government during the 33-day offensive by Israel and stressed that his administration has maintained unity in the country during the worst of times, dpa reported. "This current government managed to preserve the unity of the Lebanese in the face of major attacks," Seniora told reporters. Israel launched a widescale offensive against Lebanon on July 12 after Hezbollah militants snatched two of its soldiers, dpa reported. "The principle of a national unity government is something that we all work for," Seniora said ahead of consultations due to start among Lebanese factions on Monday to discuss the possibility of forming a national unity cabinet. The "consultative talks" which were called for by Nabih Berri, speaker of the Lebanese parliament and head of the Shiite group Amal, and which were due to start on Monday might be delayed until Wednesday because most of the major Moslem and Christian leaders are out of the country, dpa reported.
