Day 6: Army warns armed groups to stay off streets

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 : One rumor has it that a presidential election might soon take place in Parliament, and if that happens, it will mean that some degree of progress has been achieved on several other issues as well. Unfortunately, this rumor is probably a result of wishful thinking, but whether a ballot is held or not, Lebanon will not be safe from crisis unless and until the underlying causes of its perennial instability have been acknowledged and viable solutions at least posited.

This tiny patch of land has seen far more than its share of unrest, and after each bout, large or small, most of the problems that led to the trouble have been swept under the proverbial carpet. Depending on the circumstances, some communities (confessional, geographical, etc.) were compensated for their grievances by taking something from others, someone was paid off to stop complaining, or a sweeping agreement was signed but never properly implemented. Nothing has ever been solved, though, so nothing has changed: Lebanon remains an agglomeration of tribes, not a real country.

As a result, the entire diverse tapestry of Lebanese society suffers from a series of festering sores, each capable of compounding the infection next to it. For many Lebanese, the state is a tool for the advancement of others; this means that when the government of the day disappoints them, they blame some of their compatriots. As for those who view the state as a genuine and useful reflection of Lebanon's makeup and interests, this can only mean that they do not know very much about many of their fellow Lebanese - or about the disregard with which the authorities have traditionally treated them.

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008 : An Arab delegation is expected in Beirut on Wednesday in a bid to end deadly fighting that erupted in Lebanon last week, Speaker Nabih Berri's office said Monday. Arab League chief Amr Moussa phoned Berri to say that the delegation would fly in on Wednesday, a statement said.

It said the delegation would meet Berri, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, army chief Michel Suleiman, Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun, and two pro-government figures - Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri.

A League official said the delegation, to be headed by Qatari Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, would assemble in Doha Tuesday before flying to Beirut on Sheikh Hamad's private plane. The delegation will also include the foreign ministers of Algeria, Djibouti, Jordan, Morocco, the UAE and Yemen. Another official said the League had insisted that the flight land at Beirut's airport, blocked by protesters since Wednesday.

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008 : Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday postponed a vote scheduled to take place on Tuesday to elect a new Lebanese president. A statement released by Berri's office said the election session was delayed to June 10. Earlier on Monday, Berri's media adviser, Ali Hamdan, said that a vote to elect a new president was unlikely.

"In light of the current circumstances and the security situation, I doubt a session will take place tomorrow, especially considering the continued political standoff," Hamdan said.

"This political vacuum is as a result of the continued political crisis that began 18 months ago," he added.

MPs had been tentatively set to make the 19th attempt to replace Emile Lahoud, who stepped down at the end of his mandate last November with no successor being named as a result of the standoff between the ruling coalition and the opposition.

Berri on Monday discussed with US Charge d'Affaires  Michel Sison the latest developments in the country.

Sources close to Berri told The Daily Star on Monday that Sison praised Berri's recent efforts to reduce tension in different areas of the country.

Berri told Sison that the recent escalation would not have taken place had the ruling coalition responded positively to his call for holding national dialogue among rival parties.

Meanwhile, Premier Fouad Siniora discussed with Russian Ambassador Sergey Bukin and French Charge d'Affaires Andre Parrant the latest security developments in Lebanon.

After the meeting, Bukin said that all militant activity should end as soon as possible, while Parrant voiced France's readiness to help Lebanon in ending the ongoing crisis.

In a news conference on Monday, an assistant of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hussein Khalil, said that the opposition would continue its "peaceful" civil disobedience until the government cancels the decisions taken by it last week.

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008 : Former Minister Wiam Wahhab said on Monday there was no Sunni-Shiite strife in Lebanon, adding that head of the Democratic Gathering, MP Walid Jumblatt, had driven the Chouf Mountains into a dangerous situation. "Jumblatt must pay for this, and a simple apology is not enough. He has to leave, and we are ready to help him," Wahhab told.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

BEIRUT: Former Minister Wiam Wahhab said on Monday there was no Sunni-Shiite strife in Lebanon, adding that head of the Democratic Gathering, MP Walid Jumblatt, had driven the Chouf Mountains into a dangerous situation. "Jumblatt must pay for this, and a simple apology is not enough. He has to leave, and we are ready to help him," Wahhab told a news conference. "If the mountains are under threat, my weapons will be ahead of Jumblatt's in defending them," he added. Wahhab also called on the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Michel Suleiman, to assume his responsibilities: "There is a rebellion in the Grand Serail against his authority. He must enter the Serail and oust Fouad Siniora."

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008 : Tripoli MP Mosbah Ahdab said on Monday that the March 14 Forces would not succumb to pressures exerted by the opposition. "We didn't expect that a day would come when we would be mourning tens of martyrs fallen by the weapons of Hizbullah. Neither did we expect that we would be fired upon when we are mourning our martyrs," he told.

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SIDON: Sunni clerics in Sidon urged all political parties on Monday to "stick to calm and unifying speeches," while declaring their rejection of any form of security other than that provided by "legitimate security forces." In a statement issued following a meeting headed by Sidon Mufti Sheikh Salim Susan, the clerics called on Sidon residents to stay away from strife, while urging the town's religious, social and political forces to join hands and preserve civil peace and coexistence.

"We all have to prevent the enemy [Israel] from achieving its ambitions which consist of crumbling our unity," the statement said. "All parties are called to stay away from all that might harm this town's residents, role and history."

The statement also called for the building of a "just and powerful state capable of protecting its sons."

"We do not accept any security but that provided by legitimate security forces, mainly the Lebanese Armed Forces," it said. "And we do not accept to see any weapons in our streets other than legitimate arms."

The clerics slammed the shooting incidents that took place in some of Sidon's streets a few days ago.

"The residents of this town are surprised by the silence that followed a shooting incident that led to the killing of two innocent people," the statement said. "Sidon witnessed certain practices which we can only describe as reckless and irresponsible."

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008 : Around 200 people fleeing the violence in Lebanon, including the Saudi ambassador in Beirut, have arrived in the nearby island nation of Cyprus, officials said on Monday. Since Saturday, 18 private yachts or speedboats have docked at Larnaca's marina on the island's south coast, while more people are expected if the conflict worsens.

At least 59 people have died in six days of violence across Lebanon between government and opposition supporters in the worst sectarian fighting since the 1975-1990 Civil War. Back then, Cyprus became a second home to many Lebanese refugees.

"It seems these people are abandoning Lebanon for their own personal reasons, some are transferring to other countries or planning to stay here temporarily until the situation normalizes," Larnaca marina's general manager, Michalis Filis, told reporters.

He said some of the boats were dropping people off before going back for more, while other people were docking at the marina for a short period in their luxury yachts.

"Those who choose to come to Cyprus are doing so with speedboats and yachts transporting around 10 people each and taking only five to six hours to reach the island," said Filis.

He said among those arriving at the marina on Monday was the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Abdel-Aziz al-Khoja, and his family, who were escorted directly to the city's international airport.

"We expect more boats to come but we don't know how many, as confirmation comes shortly before they arrive here."

A large number of Saudis keep second homes in Lebanon and soon after the fighting erupted last Wednesday the Saudi Embassy in Beirut launched a major operation to evacuate its nationals by road through neighboring Syria.

In 2006 Cyprus served as a safe haven for more than 55,000 foreign nationals fleeing Lebanon during the devastating summer war with Israel.

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008 : Lebanon's once prominent Christian community is watching anxiously as deadly clashes rage between rival Muslim factions, amid fears that any move to join the fray would further fracture its ranks. "Both Christian camps [in the opposition and the ruling coalition] are convinced that they should not pay the price of the coup led by the Hizbullah," said pro-government figure George Adwan.

He was referring to the brief seizure of mainly Muslim western Beirut by the Shiite group, whose fighters overran pro-government forces in fighting that has since spread,  leaving almost 60 people dead in six days and fanning fears for the future of the already divided nation.

"Christians are not at all keen to be drawn into the fighting and what happened in west Beirut cannot be repeated in [predominantly Christian] east Beirut," said Adwan, deputy leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces party.

Christians in the multi-confessional Mediterranean country have splintered further in the aftermath of the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Divisions have widened further in the long-running feud between pro- and anti-Syrian politicians that has prevented the election of a new president in Lebanon, the only Arab country with a Christian head of state.

Several key Christian leaders sit firmly in the ruling coalition which is backed by the West and heavyweight Sunni Muslim-ruled Arab countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

However, Michel Aoun, an outspoken former wartime army chief and one of Lebanon's most prominent Christian politicians, is allied with the Hizbullah-led opposition supported by Syria and Iran.

The deadly sectarian fighting which erupted last Wednesday has paralyzed businesses, kept schools shut nationwide, blockaded major highways and forced the closure of the country's only international airport and the Beirut port.

But in Christian areas away from the fighting, it is almost business as usual with most shops and cafes open.

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