Lebanese parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri on Sunday urged the Lebanese to ignore a general strike call by the Hezbollah-led opposition that seeks to topple Premier Fouad Seniora's government.

Hariri, in a statement distributed by his press office, stressed that "any productive effort is an effective response" against the general strike set by the opposition for Tuesday.

Hariri's call followed similar statements by ex-President Amin Gemayel of the Phalange Party, Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea and Walid Jumblatt's Progressive socialist Party to foil the opposition's attempt to escalate its protest against the Seniora government which has been underway since Dec. 1.

The opposition on Saturday issued its call for the general strike, one day after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah announced in a television interview that the protest would be escalated.

Source: Xinhua