Lebanese opposition MPs block the
entrance to parliament in protest.
(Reuters)
BEIRUT, February 21, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The Lebanese opposition clung to the hard line adopted since the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri a week ago, rejecting calls for national dialogue and sending thousands of supporters to the streets Monday, February 21, to press for the withdrawal of Syrian troops.
Waving red and white scarves and banners of what the opposition is calling its “peaceful uprising for independence,” demonstrators shouted “Syria out” and “Down with the government” as they marched through the capital Beirut, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The opposition rally came exactly a week after Hariri was killed in a massive blast that fanned anti-Syrian sentiments, exploited by the opposition to demand the resignation of what it calls a pro-Syria government and the immediate pullout of Syrian troops.
The sea of demonstrators observed five minutes of silence at 10:55 GMT, the exact moment of the bomb blast that killed Hariri and 16 others.
Security was tight, with anti-riot police and soldiers out in force but the rally at the site of the bomb blast was passing off peacefully.
Protestors were expected to move on to the Martyrs Square in central Beirut where Hariri and some of those killed with him are buried.
The opposition accuses the government and Syria of having a hand in the grisly crime blast, an allegation refuted by both Beirut and Damascus.
The government, on the other hand, accuses the opposition of “bargaining with and trading in” the blood of Hariri, hoping to score political gains through fueling public sentiments in “an irresponsible manner”.
Calls for Calm
The Lebanese government has opted for calming down the raging sentiments, calling on opposition leaders to sit down and talk, in a bid to preserve national unity and interests.
“What I fear in this tense situation, any foreign party could infiltrate into the ranks of security forces or the students to carry out any act,” Interior Minister Suleiman Frangieh said.
A meeting of pro-Syrian Lebanese political leaders on Sunday, February 20, rejected calls for the government to quit and said the crisis should be resolved through dialogue.
But opposition MPs, who make up about a third of the 128-seat parliament, immediately shrugged off the offer before Hariri's killers are found.
Druze MP Walid Jumblatt, a leading opposition figure who says he has fears for his own personal safety, said that the only direct dialogue with Damascus should be held to oversee a Syrian withdrawal.
The mounting war of words has prompted another call for calm from Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, spiritual leader of Lebanon's Maronite Christians and an opponent of Syrian presence.
Much of the longstanding opposition to Syria's influence is drawn from the Maronite community.
“This catastrophe ... has stirred emotions. But national issues should not be handled with emotional reactions, but with moderation, planning and dialogue,” he stressed.
The government has further pledged to cooperate with a UN team, headed by Ireland's deputy police commissioner Peter Fitzgerald, to be sent this week to investigate the Hariri killing.
“President Emile Lahoud received a letter from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on this subject and replied on the basis of cooperation,” Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Nabih Berri said Sunday.
“There are clarifications (that we will be sought) but on that basis we're going to cooperate, because it's in the interests of the Lebanese state that the truth will be out within the framework of respect for its sovereignty.
“Unmasking the circumstances of this crime is our number one priority, not only because it is a national duty but also to calm people's spirits and put a stop to the false accusations being bandied about.”
Hariri, 60, a five-time prime minister and a billionaire tycoon credited with spearheading Lebanon's post-war rebuilding, had quit as premier in October in a row over Syrian interference.
The Lebanese government denies any role in the Hariri killing and Syria has pointed the finger at Israel.
“Syria is the main loser ... and (Hariri) was the most pro-Syrian” among Lebanese leaders, Syrian ambassador in London Sami Al-Khiami told the BBC Sunday.
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