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Matt25
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Here is the pro-Syrian coverage of Lebanon english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/EA2180C4-F1A2-436D-BD93-14C2D3E87D79.htm
** Thousands of Lebanese massed on Beirut seafront as the pressure mounted on the government to step down and end Syrian influence.
The rally was called by Lebanon’s opposition which is demanding an end to Syrian interference in the country’s political affairs and a withdrawal of its estimated 14,000 troops.
Waving the red and white scarves of what the opposition is calling its “peaceful uprising for independence,” demonstrators shouted “Syria out” and “Down with the government” as they marched on the site where Hariri was killed on 14 February.
**
The rally includes a five-minute period of silence at 1055 GMT, the exact time of the massive bomb blast that tore through Hariri’s motorcade on the Beirut seafront last Monday, killing 17 people according to media reports.
been turned into military barracks **
Ghassan bin Jiddo, Aljazeera’s correspondent reporting from Beirut said opposition leaders addressing the crowd have called on the government not to discuss any legislative issues but focus on Hariri’s assassination investigation.
In response to the high level of security and military deployment in the area around the parliament, opposition leaders have accused the government of turning Beirut into military barracks, he said.
Basim al-Saba, an opposition MP, addressing demonstrators on Monday criticised military deployment saying this situation indicates that Lebanon is a police state.
He also warned of preparations for ‘a military coup’, said bin Jiddo.
Tense situation
On the other hand, government authorities have justified military deployment citing security reasons.
The authorities say it is their responsibility to maintain law and order especially with tensions running high and it is in the interest of the public to maintain security.
Bin Jiddo also said the demonstrations have been calm and peaceful.
Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera The late Hariri has been credited
for Lebanon’s post-war rebuilding
Hariri, 60, a five-time prime minister and a billionaire tycoon credited with spearheading Lebanon’s post-war rebuilding, had quit as premier in October in a row over Syrian interference.
Opposition galvanised
People continue to converge each evening on Martyrs’ Square, where Hariri is buried, to shout “Syria Out” and “Down with the government,” despite warnings from the authorities that they will start banning illegal gatherings.
The opposition has been galvanised by Hariri’s killing into piling on the pressure for Syria to pull out its troops and intelligence operatives and end its political domination of Lebanon.
galvanised by Hariri’s killing**
A meeting of Lebanese political leaders on Sunday had rejected calls for the government to quit and said the crisis should be resolved through dialogue.
Opposition MPs, who make up about a third of the 128-seat parliament, have rejected any talks before Hariri’s killers are found.
Druze MP Walid Jumblatt, a leading opposition figure who says he has fears for his own personal safety, has said that the only direct dialogue with Damascus should be held to oversee a Syrian withdrawal.
** Thousands of Lebanese massed on Beirut seafront as the pressure mounted on the government to step down and end Syrian influence.
The rally was called by Lebanon’s opposition which is demanding an end to Syrian interference in the country’s political affairs and a withdrawal of its estimated 14,000 troops.
Waving the red and white scarves of what the opposition is calling its “peaceful uprising for independence,” demonstrators shouted “Syria out” and “Down with the government” as they marched on the site where Hariri was killed on 14 February.
**
Code:
Lebanon's government, facing mounting calls to resign over the murder, has vowed to cooperate with UN investigators to find his killers but rejected a full international inquiry.
Code:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/rdonlyres/EA2180C4-F1A2-436D-BD93-14C2D3E87D79/64750/C94DAEAECAD44393AF11B9BBF643A4EC.jpg **Opposition leaders say Beirut hasGhassan bin Jiddo, Aljazeera’s correspondent reporting from Beirut said opposition leaders addressing the crowd have called on the government not to discuss any legislative issues but focus on Hariri’s assassination investigation.
In response to the high level of security and military deployment in the area around the parliament, opposition leaders have accused the government of turning Beirut into military barracks, he said.
Basim al-Saba, an opposition MP, addressing demonstrators on Monday criticised military deployment saying this situation indicates that Lebanon is a police state.
He also warned of preparations for ‘a military coup’, said bin Jiddo.
Tense situation
On the other hand, government authorities have justified military deployment citing security reasons.
The authorities say it is their responsibility to maintain law and order especially with tensions running high and it is in the interest of the public to maintain security.
Bin Jiddo also said the demonstrations have been calm and peaceful.
Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera The late Hariri has been credited
for Lebanon’s post-war rebuilding
Hariri, 60, a five-time prime minister and a billionaire tycoon credited with spearheading Lebanon’s post-war rebuilding, had quit as premier in October in a row over Syrian interference.
Opposition galvanised
People continue to converge each evening on Martyrs’ Square, where Hariri is buried, to shout “Syria Out” and “Down with the government,” despite warnings from the authorities that they will start banning illegal gatherings.
The opposition has been galvanised by Hariri’s killing into piling on the pressure for Syria to pull out its troops and intelligence operatives and end its political domination of Lebanon.
Code:
It succeeded on Monday in securing an agreement from Lebanon's parliamentary speaker Nabil Barri for a debate on the situation.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/rdonlyres/EA2180C4-F1A2-436D-BD93-14C2D3E87D79/64754/FEB7E3E97D934451924DAB42AE4C02FF.jpg **The opposition has beenA meeting of Lebanese political leaders on Sunday had rejected calls for the government to quit and said the crisis should be resolved through dialogue.
Opposition MPs, who make up about a third of the 128-seat parliament, have rejected any talks before Hariri’s killers are found.
Druze MP Walid Jumblatt, a leading opposition figure who says he has fears for his own personal safety, has said that the only direct dialogue with Damascus should be held to oversee a Syrian withdrawal.
