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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Tanks deployed in Beirut to prevent possible violence |
| 2007-11-24 |
| Tanks rolled onto the streets of Beirut today amid fears of unrest as a parliament session to elect a new president by a midnight deadline was postponed for a week, with political rivals deadlocked. Armored vehicles took up position on main avenues and crossroads, particularly around the downtown area where the opposition have been holding a mass sit-in outside government headquarters since last year. “There are more army soldiers and tanks than people and cars on the streets this morning," said Salim Kantar, a bank employee. “I don't think there will be civil war again, but we fear incidents can happen on the streets as the two sides seemed to have reached a political dead-end over the presidency,” he said. In scenes reminiscent of the 1975-1990 civil war, heavily armed soldiers sealed off roads leading to the parliament building in the city centre where MPs were due to convene at 1:00 p.m. to pick a successor to President Emile Lahoud, whose term ends at midnight. However, parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced the postponement of the vote until next Friday when it became clear that no compromise could be reached. The army erected cement blocks and metal barriers to shut roads around the nearby seafront Phoenicia hotel where dozens of MPs from the ruling majority have been staying for security reasons. A number of prominent anti-Syrian figures have been killed in a wave of attacks over the past three years which many have blamed on Lebanon's former powerbrokers in Damascus. The MPs were transferred to the parliament aboard a convoy of armored vehicles, before Berri announced the postponement of the vote. The ruling coalition on Thursday had called on all MPs to attend Friday's parliament session but the opposition, backed by Syria and Iran, warned against any attempt to force through a vote. Four previous sessions in the last two months to pick a successor to Lahoud have been called off because of the standoff and Friday's session was expected to meet the same fate, several officials said. Many ordinary people were staying indoors. “We're staying home. We were watching the news on television, but in the end we opted for a comedy show because I don't want the children to become anxious,” said Rama Ghaziri, a mother of three. Many schools and universities in Beirut remained shut, while shops and banks were open although very few customers were venturing in to the centre. “I don't know if the school is open but I did not send my children this morning to be on the safe side,” said Souad Haidar, a resident of the Hamra commercial district. “We don't care who becomes president anymore, we want to live safely and normally. We've had enough wars and political conflicts which have brought nothing but hardships to our country,” she said. Main boulevards are still lined with Lebanese flags, a day after the country marked its 64th Independence Day and the 18th anniversary of the assassination of then president-elect Rene Mouawad. A gigantic Lebanese flag hanging across the Ras An-Nabeh Boulevard leading to the downtown area read: “All for the nation,” which is the first phrase of the national anthem. “If they can't agree on a president, let the army take over until there is an agreement. The army has proven that it can be trusted with the way it handled the Islamist uprising in the summer,” said Marwan Sidani. “If no president is voted in, and there are no incidents until Monday, I think it would prove that we can safely stay without a president. It would be one less politician in Lebanon, and that's better,” he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 We don't care who becomes president anymore, we want to live safely and normally. Therein lies the source of your problem, honey. |
| Posted by: Woozle Grereck5422 2007-11-24 05:40 |