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Hezbollah tells Lebanese to cool anti-Syria line
BEIRUT - Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned on Saturday that popular agitation against Syria’s grip on Lebanon after the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri could plunge the country back into civil war.
Opposition leaders are urging Lebanese to join a peaceful ”independence uprising” to free their country from Syria’s military and political dominance, intensifying a war of words after Hariri’s assassination in a huge bomb blast on Monday.
“God forbid, if the roof collapses, it collapses on all of us,” Nasrallah told tens of thousands of Shi’ite Muslims gathered for Ashura, the most solemn event in their calendar.
“Today we are responsible for a nation that came out of the civil war ... but we face acute problems, especially this year and in the past few months,” the black-turbaned cleric declared.
”As Lebanese, we have no choice for remedying our crises and problems except to discuss and meet, even if we are angry and tense,” he said. “We must not repeat the mistakes of the past.”
Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, is now a formidable Lebanese political party as well as an anti-Israel guerrilla force that still controls much of south Lebanon since helping end a 22-year Israeli occupation in May 2000.
The death of Hariri, a wealthy Sunni Muslim businessman, sparked an outpouring of public grief mixed with anger against Syria, instinctively held responsible by many Lebanese.
The anti-Syrian sentiments now uniting many of Lebanon’s Christians, Druze and Sunnis have not been voiced by Shi’ite leaders counted among the most loyal allies of Damascus. Shi’ites form the country’s biggest religious community.
Hezbollah, the only militia to retain its guns openly since the civil war ended, could come under intense pressure to disarm, in line with United Nations demands, if Syria left.
Nasrallah called for a speedy investigation into Hariri’s killing, but rejected international involvement in Lebanon.
“COOPERATE OR ELSE”
The United States, which this week recalled its ambassador from Damascus in response to the bombing, told Syria on Friday to cooperate in the investigation or face further sanctions.
Washington imposed some economic sanctions in May, including a ban on US exports to Syria other than food and medicine.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Syria could avoid further punishment by changing its policies. “We are not trying to isolate Syria, what we are trying to do is to get Syria to engage in more responsible behaviour,” she said.
The United States has not blamed Syria for Hariri’s assassination and Damascus has denied involvement.
Washington has previously told Syria to withdraw its 14,000 troops from its tiny neighbour, crack down on Iraqi insurgents and stop backing Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups.
The Beirut government has rejected US and French calls for an international inquiry into Hariri’s killing, but the United Nations has asked an Irish policeman to lead a UN team to report on its “circumstances, causes and consequences”.
Deputy police commissioner Peter Fitzgerald is expected to leave for Beirut in the next few days, a UN spokesman said.
The Bush administration wants Security Council members to consider measures that could be taken against Hariri’s killers but it was unclear how many council members would agree.
In September, France and the United States engineered a council resolution demanding Syrian troops get out of Lebanon. That measure, resolution 1559, squeaked through 9-0, the minimum number of votes required, with six abstentions.
Nasrallah attacked the resolution as an Israeli-inspired measure that would not bring Lebanon sovereignty, freedom and independence, as some Lebanese imagined.
“There is another viewpoint that says this resolution will ruin the country and make it hostage to international powers and enemy powers, specifically Israel,” he said. “The demands made in 1559 are entirely Israeli demands.”
“God forbid, if the roof collapses, it collapses on all of us,” Nasrallah told tens of thousands of Shi’ite Muslims gathered for Ashura, the most solemn event in their calendar.
“Today we are responsible for a nation that came out of the civil war ... but we face acute problems, especially this year and in the past few months,” the black-turbaned cleric declared.
”As Lebanese, we have no choice for remedying our crises and problems except to discuss and meet, even if we are angry and tense,” he said. “We must not repeat the mistakes of the past.”
Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, is now a formidable Lebanese political party as well as an anti-Israel guerrilla force that still controls much of south Lebanon since helping end a 22-year Israeli occupation in May 2000.
The death of Hariri, a wealthy Sunni Muslim businessman, sparked an outpouring of public grief mixed with anger against Syria, instinctively held responsible by many Lebanese.
The anti-Syrian sentiments now uniting many of Lebanon’s Christians, Druze and Sunnis have not been voiced by Shi’ite leaders counted among the most loyal allies of Damascus. Shi’ites form the country’s biggest religious community.
Hezbollah, the only militia to retain its guns openly since the civil war ended, could come under intense pressure to disarm, in line with United Nations demands, if Syria left.
Nasrallah called for a speedy investigation into Hariri’s killing, but rejected international involvement in Lebanon.
“COOPERATE OR ELSE”
The United States, which this week recalled its ambassador from Damascus in response to the bombing, told Syria on Friday to cooperate in the investigation or face further sanctions.
Washington imposed some economic sanctions in May, including a ban on US exports to Syria other than food and medicine.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Syria could avoid further punishment by changing its policies. “We are not trying to isolate Syria, what we are trying to do is to get Syria to engage in more responsible behaviour,” she said.
The United States has not blamed Syria for Hariri’s assassination and Damascus has denied involvement.
Washington has previously told Syria to withdraw its 14,000 troops from its tiny neighbour, crack down on Iraqi insurgents and stop backing Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups.
The Beirut government has rejected US and French calls for an international inquiry into Hariri’s killing, but the United Nations has asked an Irish policeman to lead a UN team to report on its “circumstances, causes and consequences”.
Deputy police commissioner Peter Fitzgerald is expected to leave for Beirut in the next few days, a UN spokesman said.
The Bush administration wants Security Council members to consider measures that could be taken against Hariri’s killers but it was unclear how many council members would agree.
In September, France and the United States engineered a council resolution demanding Syrian troops get out of Lebanon. That measure, resolution 1559, squeaked through 9-0, the minimum number of votes required, with six abstentions.
Nasrallah attacked the resolution as an Israeli-inspired measure that would not bring Lebanon sovereignty, freedom and independence, as some Lebanese imagined.
“There is another viewpoint that says this resolution will ruin the country and make it hostage to international powers and enemy powers, specifically Israel,” he said. “The demands made in 1559 are entirely Israeli demands.”
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I n the 15 years since Lebanon's civil war ended, Beirut had managed to recapture its former reputation as a key Mediterranean holiday destination. The bomb explosion that killed Rafik al-Hariri, the former prime minister, shattered that image. The blast was huge, killing or injuring more than 100 people.
Lebanon's civil war spilled the blood of countless Christians and Muslims. Still, Beirut managed to rebuild itself and regain its former prosperity. Now this happens.
Hariri was a Sunni Muslim and a self-made billionaire businessman with close connections to the ruling family of Saudi Arabia. He held the job for 10 years and left office only four months ago. Hariri devoted himself to reviving Lebanon's economy. Tens of thousands of ordinary citizens went into mourning.
A local paper wrote that ``ghosts of the past'' had been resurrected.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called the bombing a ``red flag, a warning signal.'' Now, there are fears the assassination could trigger another civil war.
Lebanon is like a weapons arsenal. Once it catches fire, the entire Middle East becomes unstable. It would seriously hinder both the reconstruction of Iraq and the Palestine-Israel peace process. This turn of events must be avoided at all costs.
Despite the peace, Lebanon's political landscape lies in a precarious balance, with its Christian president, a Sunni prime minister and a Shiite speaker of parliament.
In addition, neighboring Syria maintains about 14,000 troops in Lebanon, treating it like a subject state, and keeping an interfering grip on the country's domestic affairs. Hariri had rejected Syrian interference and sought to establish an autonomous Lebanon. He resigned from office in October 2004 after falling out with the pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud.
It is not clear who was behind the attack that claimed Hariri's life. Some people have pointed the finger at Syria, but the government in Damascus has denied any involvement. That said, Syria in the past was behind the assassination of a Lebanese president who took a pro-Israel position.
Last autumn, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution submitted by the United States and France that called on Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon. But Syria has not moved.
Following Hariri's assassination, Washington recalled its ambassador to Syria. The U.S. government regards Syria as a state that sponsors terrorism. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice makes no bones about the fact that U.S.-Syria relations are worsening. In return, Iran, which is also under pressure from Washington, has announced its support of Syria and vowed solidarity with Damascus against the United States.
The situation now is so taut. Tensions must be eased.
A good start would be for the Lebanese government to allow an international investigation, possibly under U.N. auspices, to determine the true facts of Hariri's death. If the Syrian government seeks to clear itself, it should offer the services of its own intelligence agencies and cooperate with the probe.
Furthermore, Syria must withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
Otherwise, international pressure will continue to mount.
The Syrian occupation originally started at the behest of the Arab League, as a temporary measure to quell unrest during Lebanon's civil war. But the situation has greatly changed since then. The Arab League should align itself with the Security Council resolution and demand that Syria withdraws all its troops immediately.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 18(IHT/Asahi: February 19,2005)
http://www.asahi.com/english/opinion/TKY200502190138.html
Opposition leaders are urging Lebanese to join a peaceful "independence uprising" to free their country from Syria's military and political dominance, intensifying a war of words after Hariri's assassination in a huge bomb blast on Monday.
"God forbid, if the roof collapses, it collapses on all of us," Nasrallah told at least 100,000 Shiite Muslims gathered for Ashoura, the most solemn event in their calendar.
"Today we are responsible for a nation that came out of the civil war ... but we face acute problems, especially this year and in the past few months," the cleric said.
"As Lebanese, we have no choice for remedying our crises and problems except to discuss and meet, even if we are angry and tense," he said. "We must not repeat the mistakes of the past."
Hezbollah is now a formidable Lebanese political party as well as an anti-Israel guerrilla force that helped end a 22-year Israeli occupation in May 2000 of southern Lebanon.
The death of Hariri, a wealthy Sunni Muslim businessman, sparked an outpouring of public grief mixed with anger against Syria, instinctively held responsible by many Lebanese.
The anti-Syrian sentiments now uniting many of Lebanon's Christians, Druze and Sunnis have not been voiced by Shiite leaders. Shiites form the country's biggest religious community.
Damascus, which denies involvement in Hariri's killing, echoed Nasrallah's warning. Its allies have often justified Syria's troop presence as a barrier against renewed civil war.
"We agree on how critical the situation is in Lebanon and that it must not be used to stir civil strife," Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Al Sharaa said in Damascus.
Nasrallah, who visited Hariri's family on Friday night to give condolences, called for a speedy investigation into his killing but rejected international involvement in Lebanon.
The United States, which this week recalled its ambassador from Damascus in response to the bombing, told Syria on Friday to cooperate in the investigation or face further sanctions.
Washington imposed some economic sanctions in May, including a ban on U.S. exports to Syria other than food and medicine.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Syria could avoid further punishment by changing its policies. "We are not trying to isolate Syria, what we are trying to do is to get Syria to engage in more responsible behaviour," she said.
Washington has previously told Syria to withdraw its 14,000 troops from its tiny neighbour, crack down on Iraqi insurgents and stop backing Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups.
In September, France and the United States engineered a UN resolution demanding Syrian troops leave Lebanon. Resolution 1559 squeaked through with the minimum number of votes needed.
And the Bush administration wants Security Council members to consider measures that could be taken against Hariri's killers but it was unclear how many council members would agree.
The Beirut government has rejected U.S. and French calls for an international inquiry into Hariri's killing, but the United Nations has asked an Irish policeman to lead a UN team to report on its "circumstances, causes and consequences".
Deputy police commissioner Peter Fitzgerald is expected to leave for Beirut in the next few days, a UN spokesman said.
At Lebanon's request, police in Australia spoke to 10 people about whether they had information on the blast, but none were charged or detained, an Australian Federal Police official said.
Lebanon's justice minister said airport authorities became suspicious after six people left on a flight to Sydney with no baggage shortly after Hariri's assassination.
http://english.daralhayat.com/arab_news/02-2005/20050219-Reu_MDF54637.TXT/story.html
The call came a day after the opposition launched a peaceful uprising against the pro-Syrian government.
Speaking from the organisation's Beirut offices, Nawaf al-Musawi, a member of Hizb Allah's political council, told Aljazeera the present political storm is not a good omen for Lebanon's political unity.
He said Secretary-General of Hizb Allah Hasan Nasr Allah is repeatedly calling for the launching of an initiative to initiate national dialogue.
Nasr Allah had warned on Saturday that popular agitation against Syria's presence in Lebanon could plunge the country back into civil war.
"God forbid, if the roof collapses, it collapses on all of us," Nasr Allah told at least 100,000 Shia Muslims gathered for Ashura, one of the holiest days in the Shia Muslim calendar.
Avoiding civil war
"Today we are responsible for a nation that came out of the civil war but we face acute problems, especially this year and in the past few months," Nasr Allah said.
"As Lebanese, we have no choice for remedying our crises and problems except to discuss and meet, even if we are angry and tense," he said. "We must not repeat the mistakes of the past."
Opposition member Faris Said, however, said opposition parties no longer trusted the government and called on international observers to investigate the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri.
But al-Musawi believes Nasr Allah's call for dialogue could restore negotiations between the two political factions which seem to be at loggerheads over Syria's military presence in Lebanon.
However, the Hizb Allah council member cautioned against elections brought upon by opposition demands.
"Nasr Allah has talked about elections that should determined by the popular will and based on constitutional means by which political paths, the identity of Lebanon and its political choices could be specified," he said.
Aljazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/80AEA837-4AFA-4954-97FC-204BD676420E.htm