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<font size=3 color="#FF0000"><b>TWO ARTICLES FOLLOW<br><br>
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</b></font><font size=3 color="#191919">Human Rights/Development <br>
Opposition forces take control of Beirut <br>
Mona Alami, <i>Electronic Lebanon,</i> 9 May 2008 <br>
<hr>
BEIRUT, 9 May (IPS) - Men clad in black have roamed the streets of Beirut
since Wednesday, their faces covered with ski masks or dark
<i>kaffiyeh</i> (checkered scarf), as they wreaked havoc in the large
avenues leading to the airport or dividing Sunni and Shia areas. As
darkness loomed over Lebanon, the winds of discord seem to set the
Lebanese capital ablaze.<br><br>
Since the assassination of former Sunni prime minister Rafiq Hariri 14
Feb 2005, allegedly through a Syrian conspiracy, the ruling anti-Syrian
majority comprised of the Druze Progressive Socialist Party (PSP),
Christian Lebanese Forces and Kataeb as well as the Future movement
headed by Saad Hariri, son of slain prime minister Hariri, has been in
conflict with the Syrian and Iranian backed opposition, dominated by Shia
Amal and Hizballah movements.<br><br>
Tension between the two groups has been aggressively building up since
Saturday 26 April, when French Socialist MP Karim Pakzad was detained by
Hizballah. In the country to attend a two-day Socialist International
conference in Beirut, Pakzad was detained and interrogated for four hours
before being released while touring and taking pictures in an area
considered the party's stronghold. Pakzad's host, Walid Jumblat, head of
the PSP and a powerful figure in the governing majority, was clearly
unhappy with the turn of events.<br><br>
A week after the kidnapping of Pakzad, Jumblat made earth-shattering
accusations against Hizballah during a conference. Jumblat claimed that
the Islamic party had placed cameras around the airport that could be
used for the killing and kidnapping of Lebanese and foreign leaders. He
supported his arguments by showing reporters an exchange of emails
between Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr and army intelligence
services discussing the discovery of surveillance cameras in the
airport's vicinity.<br><br>
Hizballah's sprawling independent telecommunications network has been a
growing concern for the government majority. While the Party of God
dismissed the accusations and warned that anyone impeding the network
would face fierce resistance, another crisis was brewing. The
opposition-backed General Federation of Labour Unions (GFLU) headed by
Ghassan Ghosn criticized the government's mismanagement of the economic
situation and called for a massive protest denouncing the high cost of
living and demanding an increase in minimum wage.<br><br>
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Lebanese cabinet issued a
statement announcing an increase of the minimum wage to LL 500,000 (333
USD a month). It was also decided that Brigadier-General Wafic Shoucair,
who is allegedly closely tied to Hizballah, would be removed from his
post as head of airport security. The government dubbed Hizballah's
private communication network as illegal and unconstitutional and
declared it would refer the issue to the Arab League and the
international community.<br><br>
As the sun rose over Beirut Wednesday, hordes of youngsters and men in
their thirties, responding to the GFLU call, congregated in heavily
populated areas such as Mazraa and Tayouneh. The divide between the
opposition and the ruling majority came out on the streets of
Beirut.<br><br>
The demonstrations took place mainly in areas loyal to the Hizballah and
Amal movements. Scores of small motorcycles driven by young men in
fatigues circulated in the streets, in what seemed like a coordinated
operation. Roads were blocked with burning tires and garbage bins, cars
were set on fire, while truckloads of rubble and sand were poured on the
airport road.<br><br>
"We are here to protest against the high cost of living. I cannot
tell you more, our leaders will make an official statement tonight
[referring to Nabih Berry, head of Shia Amal and Hizballah's Hassan
Nasrallah]," said a man in his 30s, sitting in the Mar Elias
shopping areas, a walkie-talkie in hand. A few kilometers away in Mazraa,
a densely populated Sunni and Shia region, gunfire echoed among the old
buildings. Hordes of youngsters, hiding on street corners, exchanged
insults and threw stones at each other. The majority Future Movement
offices in Noueiri, an area which was the scene of confrontations, was
hit by a hand-propelled rockets. On the border of the mostly Sunni Tariq
Jdeideh, men in ski masks with machine-guns were posted on street
intersections.<br><br>
"We will thwart any attack prepared by the others," said a
masked gunman, referring to the Amal and Hizballah demonstrators deployed
on the streets. While smoke billowed over Beirut, news of armed men
gathering around the government Serail building began to spread
fast.<br><br>
"We are witnessing the creation of the state of Hizballah at the
expense of Lebanon's democracy," said Ramy Rayess, PSP spokesman in
a phone interview with IPS. "The Party of God manipulated the Labour
Union call [for a demonstration] to attempt a mini coup, which could
eventually lead to a bigger one."<br><br>
Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah's speech Thursday afternoon left little
doubt of the party's plans for Lebanon. "A war was declared against
us," said Nasrallah, comparing decisions taken by the cabinet
against Hizballah to a declaration of war launched on behalf of the
United States and Israel. He threatened that he would go to war if he
felt Hizballah was being forced to disarm, and would cut off the hands of
anyone who would dare touch the party's weapons.<br><br>
Nasrallah declared that Shoucair remained commander of the airport
security, adding that any officer who tried to replace him would be
treated as a spy. He accused the majority government of intending to turn
the airport into a military base for the Mossad (the Israeli secret
service), the CIA and the FBI.<br><br>
Since Nasrallah's speech, all hell has broken loose in Lebanon. As the
staccato rattle of machine guns and intermittent explosions shake the
city, some believe Hizballah's <i>coup d'etat</i> is clearly under
way.<br><br>
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<a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3D7DD5AC-6C8C-44EE-A39D-EACB9A8FDD8B.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3D7DD5AC-6C8C-44EE-A39D-EACB9A8FDD8B.htm</a>
<br><br>
FRIDAY, MAY 09, 2008<br>
14:05 MECCA TIME, 11:05 GMT<br>
Hezbollah in control of west Beirut<br><br>
Clashes have again erupted on the streets of Beirut, the Lebanese
capital, as Hezbollah takes control of large areas of the capital from
groups loyal to the government following gun battles. <br><br>
The building of Future TV network, owned by Saad Hariri, a prominent
pro-government politician, was set alight in continued violence on
Friday.<br>
The street battles, which first erupted on Wednesday, have so far left at
least 11 people dead and 20 others wounded. <br><br>
Lebanese troops began taking up positions in some neighbourhoods in west
Beirut abandoned by the pro-government groups.<br>
The army has largely avoided getting involved in the street battles amid
fears of being dragged into the conflict.<br><br>
</font><font size=2>According to an opposition official, roadblocks will
not be lifted around Beirut and the international airport until the
government rescinds its measures against Hezbollah and sits down for a
national dialogue.<br><br>
Earlier in the day, a rocket-propelled grenade struck the fence of the
heavily protected residence of Saad Hariri in the suburb of Koreitem, a
Muslim area of western Beirut.<br>
<br>
Hariri, leader of the Future bloc, the biggest party in Lebanon's
governing coalition, was believed to be inside at the time but
unhurt.<br>
<br>
Earlier, armed men loyal to Hezbollah forced Future News, the news
channel of the Future media group, off the air in Beirut.<br><br>
"Gunmen surrounded the building, stormed into the garage and
demanded that the army shut down the station," a senior TV official
said.<br><br>
<b>Future group targeted<br><br>
</b>Security sources said Hezbollah and fighters from the allied Amal
movement - both Shia groups - had overrun offices of Hariri's Future
conglomerate across the predominantly Muslim western half of the Lebanese
capital.<br><br>
The headquarters of the Future media group's <i>Al-Mustaqbal</i> daily
was also surrounded by fighters firing rocket-propelled grenades, setting
fire to one floor, its managing editor said.<br><br>
Nadim Munla, the general manager of Future TV, told Al Jazeera that
masked armed men entered the control rooms and cut off the
cables.<br><br>
"We have been effectively prevented from broadcasting and doing our
jobs as media professionals," he said.<br><br>
"Hezbollah ... have proven that the gun is stronger than the value
of the opinion. We have only one thing left - free speech, and their guns
will not silence us."<br><br>
Lebanese troops evacuated the staff of the TV station's terrestrial and
satellite studios in the Kantari area of western Beirut.<br>
Meanwhile, in a statement seen as politically significant, Michel Aoun, a
Christian leader allied with the Hezbollah-led opposition, has said that
normalcy should be restored on the streets.<br><br>
"The derailed carriage is now back on track. We hope from this point
that things will fall back into the normal course [of events]," he
said on Friday.<br><br>
Aoun said that he had sent a letter to Ban Ki-moon, the UN
secretary-general, and various member states of the UN Security Council,
but "did not find a clear response to avert the crisis".
<br><br>
Later, Amin Gemayel, leader of the pro-government Kataeb Party, the
mainly Maronite Christian party, urged Christians to stay away from the
fighting.<br><br>
He accused Hezbollah of staging a coup.<br><br>
<b>Saudi pressure<br><br>
</b>Reports have also emerged that the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon
advised Fouad Siniora, the Lebanese prime minister, to step
down.<br><br>
Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting from Beirut, said: "This is a
significant move considering that the Saudi government is a staunch
supporter of the ruling coalition in Beirut.<br><br>
"The Saudis see this as a dangerous situation that can escalate
rapidly."<br><br>
In an exclusive interview to Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, Walid Jumblatt, head
of the Progressive Socialist Party and and leader of Lebanon's Druze
community, said that he did not regret his backing for the removal of the
head of security of Beirut airport, whom the government accused of being
too close to Hezbollah.<br><br>
"Jumblatt did not anticipate such a strong response from Hezbollah,
and he is resigned to the fact that the group is much stronger than other
armed militias," Amin said.<br><br>
"He said that the government should have undertaken these moves
earlier, but predicts that the fighting will end soon."<br><br>
Jumblatt said: "I did not anticipate such a strong response from
Hezbollah, but ... yes ... the group is much stronger than other armed
militias."<br><br>
He also said: "If you want to know what the next move for Hezbollah
will be, ask [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad [the Iranian president]. This
situation goes beyond Lebanese borders."<br><br>
<b>Hezbollah control<br><br>
</b>In several neighbourhoods across the capital, automatic rifle fire
could be heard in the worst domestic fighting since the 1975-90 civil
war. <br><br>
Hezbollah also took control of all roads leading to Beirut's
international airport, Lebanon's only air link to the outside
world.<br><br>
According to Elie Zakhour, a port official, Beirut's sea port was also
shut down "until further notice" because of the situation,
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported.<br><br>
Tension between the government and Hezbollah escalated when the cabinet
said the group's private phone network was illegal and an attack on the
country's sovereignty.<br><br>
Hezbollah said it was infuriated by government allegations it was spying
on Beirut airport and by the cabinet's decision to fire the head of
airport security.<br><br>
The fighting has prompted urgent appeals for calm from the international
community. <br><br>
<b>Meeting sought<br><br>
</b>Saudi Arabia and Egypt called for an urgent meeting of Arab foreign
ministers to try to halt the violence.<br><br>
"An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo to discuss
the crisis will be held in two days," Hossam Zaki, the Egyptian
foreign ministery spokesman, said.<br><br>
The UN Security Council also called for "calm and restraint",
urging all sides to return to peaceful dialogue.<br><br>
Syria said the dispute in Lebanon was an "internal affair" and
expressed hope the feuding parties would find a solution through
dialogue.<br>
</font><font size=3>Source: Al Jazeera and agencies<br><br>
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