Can Lebanon Survive? - Political Forum

CHUQ · 12-02-2006, 05:15 AM

Protesters set up camp in Beirut
Demonstrators pitch tents in central Beirut
It was the first of what could be many nights of protest
A major demonstration is continuing in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, aimed at forcing the government to resign.

Hundreds of supporters of Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies have pitched camp in central Beirut near the offices of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

The protesters accuse Mr Siniora of being too pro-western and anti-Syrian.

Pressure is coming at the Lebanese govt from just about all sides. Will it bring the downfall?

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Protesters set up camp in Beirut

CHUQ · 12-02-2006, 05:21 AM

Another story about the pressure on the Lebanese govt.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah-led protesters rallied on Friday at the doorstep of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to force the resignation of his U.S.-backed government.

"We want a clean government," one banner read. "Siniora out, we want a free, free government," the crowd chanted.

Things begin to get ugly. What should the US do at this point?

Huge Hezbollah-led rally demands Lebanon govt quit

CHUQ · 12-02-2006, 05:50 AM

US Ambassador: Beirut Protests Part Of Iran-Syria Coup

BEIRUT (AP)--U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton Friday labeled Hezbollah- organized demonstrations in downtown Beirut as part of "part of the Iran-Syria inspired coup d'etat."

Speaking in New York, Bolton said: "We obviously hope the demonstrations will be peaceful. People have a right to express their political opinions, but in terms of this being part of the Iran-Syria inspired coup d'etat against the government of Lebanon we're obviously quite concerned about i

It would seem that everything that occurs in Lebanon is a Syrian plot. If there is ever a shortage of coffee--it will be Syria's doing. Come guys, at present what would Syria gain?

Nasdaq 100 Flash Quotes

CHUQ · 12-03-2006, 05:03 AM

Egypt fears Lebanon battlefield if protests continue
Sat 2 Dec 2006 7:46 AM ET

CAIRO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Saturday he feared continued street demonstrations, especially if they became sectarian, could turn Lebanon into a battlefield.

On Friday hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah-led protesters rallied in Beirut to try to force the resignation of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's U.S.-backed government. The protest continued on Saturday.

"Wisdom is required in dealing with internal differences," Mubarak told journalists in Sharm el-Sheikh, where he was meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"What I fear is that if the demonstrations continue, and take on a sectarian form, supporters of these sects from outside Lebanon will join in and no one will be able to control it, especially if it continues for a long time."

Mubarak, an ally of Washington in the Middle East, said he was worried outside forces could exacerbate the situation.

"And the result will be a transformation of Lebanon into a battlefield that subjects it to danger," he said.

Hezbollah, Lebanon's most powerful Shi'ite Muslim group, and its pro-Syrian allies had called on Lebanese from across the country to take part in the protest in the capital Beirut, to be followed by an indefinite sit-in.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, has branded the government a U.S. puppet.

Hezbollah has been at loggerheads with Siniora's government over what it says was its failure to back the group during the July-August war with Israel.

Mubarak is concerned, but for what is he concerned?

CHUQ · 12-03-2006, 05:06 AM

Protesters by the thousands and Siniora remains defiant.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition paralysed parts of central Beirut on Saturday as defiant Prime Minister Fouad Siniora won fresh international backing.

Scores of tents sprung up as protesters occupied parking lots, squares and streets leading to the government's headquarters bringing Beirut's normally bustling commercial district to a standstill.

Please remember that the Maronite christians do not like Sunni or Shi'a, this is going to get ugly.

Protesters paralyse central Beirut, Siniora defiant

CHUQ · 12-04-2006, 05:51 AM

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of pro-Syrian protesters pressed on with a sit-in aimed at ousting Lebanon's Western-backed government on Sunday as the country's political crisis showed no sign of easing.

The Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah and its allies in the opposition, including some Christians, held a third day of protests at a tent city in central Beirut, within earshot of the office-turned-residence of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

"Our one and only demand is a government of national unity," senior pro-Syrian Christian opposition figure Suleiman Franjieh told a jubilant crowd massed at Beirut's Riad al-Solh square

I guess I am the only one who cares about the things happening in Lebanon. BE WARNED! This will get ugly and the US will be involved.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...e-C1-topNews-6

CHUQ · 12-04-2006, 05:55 AM

THe protests are more about class than politics, so says the article.

Now it has been occupied by Shiites, who are also the poorest of Lebanon's communities, making this a revolution as much about class as politics. When hordes of flag-waving Sunni, Christian and Druze protesters similarly occupied downtown Beirut nearly two years ago to press their demand for an end to Syrian occupation, what became known around the world as the Cedar Revolution was dubbed by Lebanese "the Gucci Revolution" in reference to the expensive tastes of its participants

Read this for a perspective not seen on CNN or FOX

KRT Wire | 12/04/2006 | Beirut sit-in as much about class as politics

CedarPride · 12-04-2006, 08:26 AM

I am not going to comment on each article separately. I am rather going to give a general overview:

1- The demo is NOT an exclusive Shiite demo.

2- The Christians participating in the sit-in represent the majority of the Christians in Lebanon. The biggest party the Free Patriotic Movement got 75% of the Christian votes in the last elections. The most popular Christian parties today are the FPM and the Marada both of which are participating in the demo.

3- The demo is NOT pro-Syrian. It is labeled as such by propagandists. Again, the leader of the FPM was exiled for 15 years for refusal of the Syrian domination of Lebanon, whereas 99% of the government is made of Syria's ex-men in Lebanon. FPM members fought Syria's occupation in Lebanon peacefully through a clandestine movement for 15 years, spraying Syria out on the walls at night, distributing flyers, holding peaceful demonstrations. There are over 16000 arrests of students between 1990 and 2005, mostly beaten, imprisoned and court-martialled for fighting Syria's occupation. Now that Syria is out, they are labeled Pro-Syrians!!! Talk about irony…..

4- The government is unconstitutional and has been since its creation.

5- It was the majority of the Christians who had been asking for the resignation of the government since its creation over a year ago and it is the Shiites who just joined the Christians in opposing the government and not the other way around.

6- If you want to boost your chances to become president in Lebanon, you don't side with Hizbullah but with the Sunnis. So all this about General Aoun allying with Hizbullah to become president is a misconception.

7- I am a Maronite Christian. I do not hate the Sunnis or the Shia. I am participating in the sit-ins because this government is unconstitutional and acting like a dictatorship.

8- I participated in the Cedar Revolution demos too, but the said Cedar revolution turned out to be a sham, aiming at creating a one-ruling party regime like other Arab countries. We will NOT accept that.

9- The Christians in the government owe their election to Muslims through the adoption of a discriminatory law against the Christians. They are second-class Christian politicians, even though some are the biggest feudal names and traditional sectarian parties with little to no popular support however. The majority of Christians has rejected the feudal sectarian families in favor of secularism

The aim of these demos is NOT so that the Shiites take control of the country. It is the formation of a National Unity Government where the true representatives of each sect represent the sect, therefore, no one gets the upper hand, not the Shiites, neither the Sunnis, nor the Christians.

CedarPride · 12-04-2006, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHUQ

Mubarak is concerned, but for what is he concerned?

A truly democratic protest to bring the government down in Lebanon constitutes a threat to all regimes in the area, that are all dictatorships.

The people are not allowed to freely express themselves around here, or it will bring chaos to the ME because all people in Arab countries are oppressed.

Since the US supports most of these dictatorships, you can begin to understand why they are against the fall of the Siniora government by way of demonstrations.

If the US and the Arabs do not back off from supporting the UNCONSTITUTIONAL Siniora government, there will be war inn Lebanon.

Unfortunately, considering the alternative of Arab people starting to demonstrate against their leaders, I believe war is a better option for the Arabs and the US.

And considering that we will not accept that Lebanon's regime becomes like Egypt's, Syria's or the KSA's, we cannot back off either.

Let's see how things develop.

Yesterday two demonstrators got killed by pro-government people.

FRYandBENDER · 12-04-2006, 08:43 AM

See, that's what I like to hear. Thanks for the info Cedar. When I was reading the first few posts, I was thinking "well this is just great, all of these people are out there protesting a US friendly government to replace it with one apparently led by hezzbolah, who it seems hates the US and Israel." I have a hard time understanding Lebanon, I mean, I haven't really investigated it deeply, but I remember a few months ago when Israel and Lebanon (Hezzbolah) were going at it I heard the (I believe) president of Lebanon, saying that Hezzbolah was not representative of Lebanon, but with the same breath said something to the effect of, well, Hezzbolah is our "unofficial army." Do you think things will ever get to where its settled down over there? I would hate to think that all of this distrust and anger had no end.