http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/09/international/09lebanon.html?th
Pro-Syria Party in Beirut Holds a Huge Protest By HASSAN M. FATTAH Published: March 9, 2005 EIRUT, Lebanon, March 8 - Shouting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese poured into central Beirut on Tuesday in a show of strength by the militant Shiite Muslim party Hezbollah, which opposes a withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon. The enormous crowd, in which many had been bused in from the Shiite slums of southern Beirut, was far larger than the anti-Syrian demonstrations of recent weeks that have drawn broad international support. It offered a defiant challenge to the Lebanese opposition forces that have insisted on Syrian withdrawal and exposed fault lines of class and ideology. "Today, you decide the future of your nation and your country; today, you answer the world," the Hezbollah leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, said in a rare and surprise appearance. Banners held aloft read: "No to American-Zionist intervention. Yes to Lebanese-Syrian brotherhood." President Bush, speaking later in Washington, stepped up pressure on Syria to withdraw its 14,000 troops before Lebanon's elections in May, saying the forces of authoritarianism across the Middle East are facing a fast-moving wave of popular opposition. The emergence of democracy in Lebanon, he said, would amount to a ring on "the doors of every Arab regime." (Related Article) The participants at the demonstration here represented, by and large, a very different Lebanon from the educated, better-off Christians, Druse and Sunni Muslims who have captured the world's attention since Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister, was assassinated Feb. 14 by a huge car bomb. While the anti-Syrian opposition movement has been called the Cedar Revolution, a reference to the Lebanese national tree, it has also been called the BMW revolution. The demonstration included far more women with covered heads and many men in traditional dress. Since the killing of Mr. Hariri, a billionaire who resigned as prime minister to protest Syrian domination of Lebanon, many Lebanese parties have called for the complete withdrawal of Syrian troops, which have been here since 1976. Backers of the withdrawal have taken to the streets in demonstrations reminiscent of the events in November in Ukraine, where a rigged election was overturned partly through popular rallies. The Lebanese opposition blames Syria for Mr. Hariri's death, a charge Syria has denied. Hezbollah, or the Party of God, had remained quiet until Tuesday despite invitations by the opposition to join. The opposition has been struggling to demonstrate that it is the voice of the majority while becoming a favorite cause of the Bush administration. "Freedom will prevail in Lebanon," Mr. Bush said Tuesday. "The American people are on your side. Millions across the earth are on your side." But Hezbollah, which the State Department classifies as a terrorist group, is now Lebanon's best organized political party and maintains a militia of some 20,000 men. United Nations Resolution 1559, passed in September 2004, calls for both the withdrawal of all foreign forces and the disarmament of Lebanon's militias. To Hezbollah and its followers, the foreign threat to Lebanon comes not from Syria but from Israel and its ally, the United States. Israel occupied part of southern Lebanon from 1982 until 2000 in order to prevent infiltrations from radical anti-Israel groups. Many Lebanese Shiites say Israel still has designs on their land and that the American-backed democracy movement is simply another form of American imperialism. "Forget about your dreams of Lebanon," Sheik Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, said at the rally, speaking to Israel's leaders. "What you did not win in war, I swear, you will not win with politics." Speaking to the Bush administration, he said: "You are wrong in your calculations in Lebanon. Lebanon will not be divided. Lebanon is not Somalia; Lebanon is not Ukraine; Lebanon is not Georgia." Ahmad Moussa, 22, a student at the rally, said: "We're here to defend our liberty and our true sovereignty, the sovereignty of the resistance. The opposition wants to open the door to the Americans and to foreign intervention. We will stop them." The demonstration was held in Riyadh al Solh Square a few blocks from Martyrs' Square, where the opposition movement has held its demonstrations. The pro-Syrian demonstrators filled the open field in front of United Nations offices in Beirut, and stretched across nearby overpasses, roads and tunnels. Officially, the demonstration was sponsored by several political parties. But the rally was all Hezbollah, complete with well-designed banners, anthems, crowd control and a secret police infrastructure to ensure that things stayed peaceful. Hezbollah, which has 13 of the 128 seats in the Lebanese Parliament and hopes to expand its power as the country prepares for the May elections, clearly wanted to make a show of strength through the demonstration, challenging the opposition's claim to represent the nation's future. "I want to show the Americans, the French and the U.N. that we are the majority of the Lebanese and that we have a voice," said Youness Ismail, 26, a restaurant owner from the poor southern suburbs, who had arrived in the square on Tuesday morning. "All they have done is make us promises they never kept, and now they are trying to use the international community to reoccupy us." Like the opposition movement, the demonstrators waved Lebanese flags and called for national unity, while demanding the truth behind Mr. Hariri's assassination. But the sea of people also raised photos of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and the Lebanese president, �mile Lahoud, an ally of Syria. Some banners read, "America is the source of terrorism." "This is a goodbye party, not a show of support for Syria," said the opposition leader Jibran Tuweini, editor of the Lebanese daily An Nahar. "If they wanted this to be a challenge to us, they would have brought their party's yellow flags. But Hezbollah doesn't want to burn its bridges with anyone because ultimately they will have to return to the Lebanese people once everything is over." At Martyrs' Square, opposition demonstrators who have been camping out expressed their frustration at the growing demonstration not far away. The roar of the crowd could be heard as the tents rustled in the wind, and many Hezbollah demonstrators walked past the opposition tents pitched at the square. The Lebanese Army showed up in full force to ensure that both groups were kept apart. "Shame on them - they are carrying flags and raising pictures of foreign leaders," said Samer Samer, 57, who had brought his two sons to the opposition camp. "They're like us; they want no foreign interference and want the U.S., Israel and France out. But we also want the Syrians out too." Fears that the growing political tension will lead to a resurgence of violence have grown in recent days as Lebanon's political and sectarian fault lines have re-emerged. Lebanon's rival groups fought a vicious civil war from 1975 to 1990, leaving parts of the country in ruins. "This is a delicate situation but not a dangerous one," Mr. Tuweini, the opposition leader, insisted as he watched the demonstration on television from his office overlooking Martyrs' Square. "I'm not worried about the unity of the Lebanese, but I am worried that car bombs and assassinations will happen as we try to defend it." The demonstration came one day after Syria began a redeployment of its forces to the Bakaa region. But Mr. Assad and Mr. Lahoud said in a statement on Monday that a complete withdrawal would await negotiations with a future Lebanese government, raising the likelihood that Syrian soldiers will still be in the country during the elections in May. On Tuesday, Lebanese officials told The Associated Press that the main Syrian intelligence offices, along with Syrian troops, would be relocated by March 23, when the Arab League is to hold its annual summit meeting in Algeria. Jad Mouawad contributed reporting for this article. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Take a look at donorschoose.org, an excellent charitable web site for anyone who cares about public education! http://us.click.yahoo.com/_OLuKD/8WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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