Tweet
The Australian, Australia
Nov 25 2006
Beirut crowds stop Hezbollah grab for power
Martin Chulov, Beirut
November 25, 2006
HEZBOLLAH has suspended its attempts to topple the Lebanese
Government in the wake of renewed anti-Syrian sentiment among huge
crowds at the funeral of slain MP Pierre Gemayel.
The show of support for the embattled Government of Prime Minister
Fouad Siniora has shored up his tenuous grip on power, forcing
Hezbollah to put aside its ambitions to share power in a new
administration.
Hezbollah and key pro-Syrian figures, such as Lebanese President
Emile Lahoud, were noticeably absent from Thursday's funeral in
Beirut's Maronite St George's Cathedral, which attracted prominent
figures from across the Arab world.
Most of the key speakers, including pro-Government figure Saad
Hariri, called for the resignation of Mr Lahoud - a staunch backer of
Syria.
The service and public rally outside were peaceful and demonstrators
appeared to pay heed to the pleas of Mr Gemayel's grieving father
Amin, who called for Lebanon not to descend into sectarian violence.
The majority of the estimated 500,000-strong crowd were in a
celebratory mood, waving flags and anti-Syrian banners and singing
patriotic hymns.
The rally spilled from the front of the Christian Phalange Party
headquarters across Beirut's Martyrs Square and on to most roads and
bypasses leading into the city.
Mr Gemayel's body was last night driven back to his home village of
Bikfaya to be buried.
The funeral procession passed the street in an Armenian area in north
Beirut where his bullet-riddled car was yesterday towed away by
forensic examiners.
Lebanese security officials believe three gunmen were involved in the
assassination on Tuesday.
They are thought to have fired up to 30 rounds from an automatic
weapon fitted with a silencer into Mr Gemayel's driver's-side window,
killing both him and a bodyguard, before fleeing in a dark-coloured
4WD, possibly a Honda Sports utility.
The UN has agreed to supply investigators to help with the probe.
The world body is already looking into 14 other apparently
politically motivated attacks in Lebanon since the death of former
prime minister Rafik Hariri. All of those killed were outspoken
anti-Syria figures.
Syria has strongly denied any involvement in the killing, claiming it
was counter-productive to its interests at a time when the US was
reaching out to Damascus, after three years of refusing to deal with
any senior Syrian figure.
Suspicions within the military tribunal that prosecutes terrorist
cases in Lebanon is falling on rogue elements in the Syrian regime
that left Lebanon 18 months ago after an iron-fisted 30-year rule.
Syrian regime elements have been heavily implicated in the killing in
March last year of Mr Hariri and were due to face more pressure from
the formation of an international tribunal to prosecute alleged
conspirators.
The tribunal is due to be ratified by the Lebanese parliament next
week.
Mr Siniora yesterday called for the six pro-Hezbollah ministers who
resigned from his cabinet last week to rejoin the Government and
defuse the crisis, which threatens to bring down the administration.
"There is an opportunity for us today to unite our stand on many
issues that bring us together, including the international tribunal,
which is the only path towards revealing the true crimes that have
targeted the Lebanese," he said.
Since Mr Gemayel's death, Mr Siniora has been clinging to a slender
majority of two MPs. However he appeared to receive a lift yesterday
when one minister who quit the cabinet earlier in the year offered to
rejoin.
Hezbollah, which had been quiet after Mr Gemayel's death, yesterday
claimed his killing had been orchestrated to force the Shia bloc to
rejoin the cabinet.
It had hoped to pressure the Government into resigning by taking to
the streets in similar numbers to those that turned out on Thursday.
The Lebanese cabinet is expected to convene today to approve the
final draft for the international tribunal, which could start hearing
evidence as early as January.
Mr Lahoud, who is opposed to the tribunal, said he would not respond
to his critics during the mourning period for Mr Gemayel.
World leaders have called for calm in Lebanon, which has been in
political torpor since the end of the summer war that Hezbollah
fought with Israel.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described the situation in Lebanon as
delicate and very fragile.
"We should all do whatever we can to support the Lebanese people and
the Government and encourage them to stand unified," he said.
Nov 25 2006
Beirut crowds stop Hezbollah grab for power
Martin Chulov, Beirut
November 25, 2006
HEZBOLLAH has suspended its attempts to topple the Lebanese
Government in the wake of renewed anti-Syrian sentiment among huge
crowds at the funeral of slain MP Pierre Gemayel.
The show of support for the embattled Government of Prime Minister
Fouad Siniora has shored up his tenuous grip on power, forcing
Hezbollah to put aside its ambitions to share power in a new
administration.
Hezbollah and key pro-Syrian figures, such as Lebanese President
Emile Lahoud, were noticeably absent from Thursday's funeral in
Beirut's Maronite St George's Cathedral, which attracted prominent
figures from across the Arab world.
Most of the key speakers, including pro-Government figure Saad
Hariri, called for the resignation of Mr Lahoud - a staunch backer of
Syria.
The service and public rally outside were peaceful and demonstrators
appeared to pay heed to the pleas of Mr Gemayel's grieving father
Amin, who called for Lebanon not to descend into sectarian violence.
The majority of the estimated 500,000-strong crowd were in a
celebratory mood, waving flags and anti-Syrian banners and singing
patriotic hymns.
The rally spilled from the front of the Christian Phalange Party
headquarters across Beirut's Martyrs Square and on to most roads and
bypasses leading into the city.
Mr Gemayel's body was last night driven back to his home village of
Bikfaya to be buried.
The funeral procession passed the street in an Armenian area in north
Beirut where his bullet-riddled car was yesterday towed away by
forensic examiners.
Lebanese security officials believe three gunmen were involved in the
assassination on Tuesday.
They are thought to have fired up to 30 rounds from an automatic
weapon fitted with a silencer into Mr Gemayel's driver's-side window,
killing both him and a bodyguard, before fleeing in a dark-coloured
4WD, possibly a Honda Sports utility.
The UN has agreed to supply investigators to help with the probe.
The world body is already looking into 14 other apparently
politically motivated attacks in Lebanon since the death of former
prime minister Rafik Hariri. All of those killed were outspoken
anti-Syria figures.
Syria has strongly denied any involvement in the killing, claiming it
was counter-productive to its interests at a time when the US was
reaching out to Damascus, after three years of refusing to deal with
any senior Syrian figure.
Suspicions within the military tribunal that prosecutes terrorist
cases in Lebanon is falling on rogue elements in the Syrian regime
that left Lebanon 18 months ago after an iron-fisted 30-year rule.
Syrian regime elements have been heavily implicated in the killing in
March last year of Mr Hariri and were due to face more pressure from
the formation of an international tribunal to prosecute alleged
conspirators.
The tribunal is due to be ratified by the Lebanese parliament next
week.
Mr Siniora yesterday called for the six pro-Hezbollah ministers who
resigned from his cabinet last week to rejoin the Government and
defuse the crisis, which threatens to bring down the administration.
"There is an opportunity for us today to unite our stand on many
issues that bring us together, including the international tribunal,
which is the only path towards revealing the true crimes that have
targeted the Lebanese," he said.
Since Mr Gemayel's death, Mr Siniora has been clinging to a slender
majority of two MPs. However he appeared to receive a lift yesterday
when one minister who quit the cabinet earlier in the year offered to
rejoin.
Hezbollah, which had been quiet after Mr Gemayel's death, yesterday
claimed his killing had been orchestrated to force the Shia bloc to
rejoin the cabinet.
It had hoped to pressure the Government into resigning by taking to
the streets in similar numbers to those that turned out on Thursday.
The Lebanese cabinet is expected to convene today to approve the
final draft for the international tribunal, which could start hearing
evidence as early as January.
Mr Lahoud, who is opposed to the tribunal, said he would not respond
to his critics during the mourning period for Mr Gemayel.
World leaders have called for calm in Lebanon, which has been in
political torpor since the end of the summer war that Hezbollah
fought with Israel.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described the situation in Lebanon as
delicate and very fragile.
"We should all do whatever we can to support the Lebanese people and
the Government and encourage them to stand unified," he said.