The marches opposed to Syria's occupation of Lebanon where dwarfed today by the pro-Syrian Shiite marches organised by Hezbollah (Lebanon is 40% Shiite). There is obviously support for Syria to remain and leave Lebanon.
Even though no one actually knows who killed Lebanese ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and before today's march the UN, America, Russia, and Saudi Arabia were demanding that Syria get out and obey UN resolutions. It's not clear what is going on in Lebanon and why so many different groups, who have different interests in the area are calling for Syrian to get out.
It is easy to see that nothing could be easier than to stir up trouble in Lebanon. Anybody who knows anything about Lebanon know what's going on their?
Syria was an ally of the US when it attacked Iraq in 1991.
30 years ago Syrian troops went into Lebanon to put down an uprising by the Palastinians and the Lebanese left. The uprising they put down was against the right wing Phalangist party, who were supported by the US, France and Israel.
More on the Lebanese marches where 1/2 a million protested in support of ???
When Bush gave another one of his undignified and swaggering speaches about freedom being on the march did anyone get the impression that they guy does not have a clue what he is talking about? Seems that someone waves a flag and Bush claims success. The small matter of where or why seems of no relevance to him.
quote:
Syria is run by a clique of Alawis - who are Shia - and Iraq is now dominated by Shia Muslims who voted themselves into power, and Iran is a Shia nation. So when President Bush said "the Lebanese people have the right to determine their future free from domination of a foreign power", the power the Shias were thinking of was not Syria but the United States and Israel.
And 100 yards away, the demonstrators who have bravely protested against the murder of Rafik Hariri have become factionalised, courtesy of the Syrians. At night, the opposition protesters are largely Christian. Yesterday's Hizbollah rally, while it contained the usual pro-Syrian Christians, was essentially Shia. And their message was not one of thanks to President Bush.
So what did all this prove? That there was another voice in Lebanon. That if the Lebanese "opposition" - pro-Hariri and increasingly Christian - claim to speak for Lebanon and enjoy the support of President Bush, there is a pro-Syrian, nationalist voice which does not go along with their anti-Syrian demands but which has identified what it believes is the true reason for Washington's support for Lebanon: Israel's plans for the Middle East.
BEIRUT — Hundreds of thousands of opposition demonstrators chanted "Freedom, sovereignty, independence" and unfurled a huge Lebanese flag in Beirut today, the biggest protest yet in the opposition's duel of street rallies with supporters of the Damascus-backed government.
Crowds of men, women and children flooded Martyrs Square, spilling over into nearby streets, while more from across the country packed the roads into Beirut -- responding to an opposition call to demonstrate for the removal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
"We are coming to liberate our country. We are coming to demand the truth," said Fatma Trad, a veiled Sunni Muslim woman who traveled from the remote region of Dinniyeh in northern Lebanon to take part.
Curley Joe - I don't read you're cut and paste rubbish so don't bother PMing me with childish messages.
USA1 - It was a massive march and I hope it achieves whatever the Lebanese want. I also hope both sides in Lebanon, pro and anti-Syrian can come to an agreement. If the majority of Lebanese want the occupying force out - and Syria says they are withdrawing - good for them.
Lebanon is a good example of the strives and conflicts within ME countries.
For example, an opposition does exist in Iran, wishing an american intervention to get rid of the largelly despised and hated mullahs holding power. Yet another part of the population is fanatized and anti-western and would follow any order of their leaders on a drop of a hat. Fact is that these people are controlling the country and its population far more that Hussein's henchmen were doing in Iraq.
Any invasion wouldn't be a cake walk.
03-08-2005 07:24 PM
How 'bout this, then: Sorry to see things not going as per the Europisst-propagandists' hopes and aspirations.
