BEIRUT, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Fouad Siniora left Beirut on Wednesday for Paris to attend an international aid conference for Lebanon, a day after opposition groups suspended protests that had paralysed the country and sparked violence. Siniora's Western-backed government hopes to get billions of dollars of aid at the conference on Thursday to ease the burden of Lebanon's public debt and help the country recover from the July-August war between Hezbollah and Israel. Opposition protests demanding veto power in government and early elections turned violent on Tuesday, forcing Siniora to delay his trip. Three people were killed and 133 hurt in clashes between government loyalists and opposition demonstrators. The opposition, which includes Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah, had blocked highways with burning tyres but decided later on Tuesday to dismantle its barricades, saying protests would resume unless the government bowed to its demands. Headlines in the anti-government Al-Akhbar newspaper read: "The opposition paralyses the country: a final warning to the government" and "Small wars cover Lebanon." The pro-government Al-Mustaqbal newspaper countered with: "Black Tuesday: Hezbollah's state besieges Lebanon." Traffic in Beirut was back to normal early on Wednesday, although the city centre was blocked by a protest the opposition has been holding since Dec. 1. The United States, a backer of Siniora's government, has promised substantial assistance to Lebanon at the Paris meeting. Lebanon's public debt stood at an estimated $40.5 billion at the end of 2006, equal to 180 percent of gross domestic product.
