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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Lebanese rally against Syria
2004-11-20
Some 3,000 Lebanese students and activists defied the government yesterday and demonstrated peacefully against Syria's domination of their country. Shouting "Syrians out," students from several universities and right-wing Christian activists converged on a central Beirut intersection. Hundreds of security forces watched, but did not intervene. Soldiers and police set up roadblocks to prevent protesters from travelling into the capital for the twin demonstrations called by the right-wing and left-wing opposition, causing massive tailbacks in the morning rush-hour. The government had declared that street protests would be illegal, but the police and troops seemed to heed instructions of maximum restraint from Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh. The protesters dispersed after several hours without any violence reported. Called to mark the anniversary of Lebanon's independence, which falls on Monday, the protests objected to the role of neighbouring Syria, which stations some 14,000 troops in Lebanon and has long controlled the government and senior appointments.
Being a colony really sucks, eh guys?
One demonstrator appealed to US President George W Bush, holding a placard that read: "Bush help us save Lebanon." A smaller group of protesters, followers of Druse leader Walid Jumblatt, chanted the national anthem near the prime minister's office and held placards reading: "No to hegemony" and "Freedom, Sovereignty, Independence." The government had earlier cordoned off the office of Prime Minister Omar Karami with tank traps and other obstacles. It deployed about 1,000 security forces outside the universities and at major intersections across the city in anticipation of the protests.

The protests were called by opposition leader Gen Michel Aoun, a former commander of the Lebanese army. Aoun has been in exile in France since losing a military campaign against the Syrian forces in Lebanon in the early 1990's. Prominent members of the opposition had warned the government against using force to stop the protests, saying the world is watching. Previous protests against Syria have ended in clashes in the streets.
Posted by:Steve White

#12  Hulugu, no stake? Am disappointed.

Oh, that was Vlad's speciality...

Where's Tepes when you need him...
Posted by: Cornîliës   2004-11-20 4:41:54 PM  

#11  walid jumblatt is an anti american druze warlord thug--he should be blown off his mountain top when we invade and hung by his mustache and balls
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI   2004-11-20 4:12:03 PM  

#10  Syria out of the occupied territory!
Posted by: eLarson   2004-11-20 9:41:54 AM  

#9  davemac - yeah those guys are really confused. "No to hegemony!?"

That's going to really stump our self-proclaimed intellectual elites during their US/Israeli hedgemony rants. let's see...must put into my hip pocket Lebanon, Syria 14,000 troops since the 70's. *snicker*
Posted by: 2b   2004-11-20 8:02:42 AM  

#8  >right-wing Christian activists<

Getting their MSM metaphors mixed up - can't be an activist and be right-wing. Here's a tip - use fundamentalist with right-wing. With activist any of the following will do - gentle, bunny loving, peaceloving, etc. etc.
Posted by: davemac   2004-11-20 7:43:47 AM  

#7  The closer the showdown with Iran, more breaking news with Iran's Shi'ite proxies Syria-Lebanon will intensify.
Posted by: Mark Espinola   2004-11-20 3:29:59 AM  

#6  It's still about Mad Mullah Money - say that 3 times fast, heh. Decap those wacky Black Hats and Syria folds up leaving Leb an orphan. The only straight-up 3-fer I can see out there. ChiNorK is a 2-fer, but SyrLebIran is even juicier with those nukes. Wotta cornucopia of Connections. James Burke would have a field day. Did I mention SaudiPak is about a 25000-fer (all that Wahhabbi moskkk funding)? But hey, the oven timer's going off in Teheran so, first things first. Bizzy, bizzy.
Posted by: .com   2004-11-20 2:28:30 AM  

#5  The French created the country and put the Christians in charge. Then dumped them when it decided business with the Moslems was better.
Posted by: phil_b   2004-11-20 12:55:34 AM  

#4  Bush the right man to clean up the "Arab Street"
mess.
Posted by: Baluchi   2004-11-20 12:55:03 AM  

#3  Lebanon used to be the only Arab country ruled by Christians until the Syrians stepped in sometime in the 1970's. Lebanese Christians are looking to Uncle Sam to pull their chestnuts out of the fire. The problem is that they have spent so much time sticking it to us that we don't quite believe them any more. And yet restoring (Eastern Orthodox) Christian rule to Lebanon should win us a lot of brownie points with the Eastern Orthodox world (Bulgaria, Russia, Greece, Serbia, Ukraine, Belorussia).
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2004-11-20 12:45:43 AM  

#2  "Bush help us save Lebanon."

Amazing. Heard that quite a few times in different declinations. And this is the infamous 'Arab street', to boot.

Is it possible that people in different places are starting to see who is their guy? Despite of their elites and media painting Bush as an evil incarnate?
Posted by: Cornîliës   2004-11-20 12:22:43 AM  

#1  "Hey America, over here! This way to the Med and your homes! Just march west-southwest from Mosul when you're finished there. Be sure you stop and see the sights in Damascus on your way in. Please?"

I have an odd feeling that the Bush doctrine just might be contagious.
Posted by: AzCat   2004-11-20 12:15:54 AM  

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