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Syria takes heart after battering over presence in Lebanon
 Tens of thousands of people rallied in Damascus Wednesday in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is under intense international pressure over his regime's dominance of Lebanon. The crowd chanted: "One, one, one, Syria and Lebanon are one," as they brandished portraits of the president, his late father Hafez Assad and the head of Lebanon's movement Hizbullah, Hassan Nasrallah. Unofficial estimates said some half-a-million people filled the streets.The rally, broadcast live on state television, came a day after a massive pro-Syrian demonstration in Beirut organized by Hizbullah in a bid to counter international demands for Damascus to end its three-decade military and political grip on Lebanon. The crowd marched to Al-Rawda presidential palace amid shouts of: "We want to see you Bashar," prompting the Syrian leader to appear at a window of the building and wave to the crowd. As the demonstrators rallied, Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa met with the visiting deputy foreign minister of Iran, Syria's closest ally, Ahmad Azizi, to discuss the situation in Lebanon, Syria's official news agency SANA said. "The two sides agreed on the need for the two countries to continue working together to maintain security and stability in the region," SANA said. Meanwhile, the Damascus crowd sang patriotic songs by renowned Lebanese diva Fairouz and carried placards reading "Syria is the protective fortress of the Lebanese." "The pullback from Lebanon strengthens our interests and does not mean that Syria will no longer have a role," read one banner. Another read, "Syria is the beating heart of the Arab world." Other supporters waved Syrian, Hizbullah and Palestinian flags as well as that of Syria's ruling Baath party, while one person carried a Syrian flag stamped with the Lebanese national symbol, the cedar tree. Posted by: Fred 2005-03-10 |
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