Subject: Statist Tango: Civil war fears grip Lebanon Thu May 08, 2008 9:30 pm
Thursday's gun battles broke out only minutes after the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, appeared on TV to accuse the Lebanese government of declaring war on his movement, whose raison d'etre is to resist Israel.
He said the only way out of the current crisis was for the government to rescind the decisions it took on Monday aimed at curbing Hezbollah.
The government has so far refused to do that but the Sunni leader, Saad Hariri, said that Hezbollah's reaction was based on a "big misunderstanding", and he offered direct talks to resolve the situation.
He appealed to Hassan Nasrallah to take a historic stand to "save Lebanon from hell".
But Hezbollah's TV station said the offer was rejected, and that the only acceptable solution was for the government to back down.
So the country has been left to the sound of gunfire, and very real fears that an unstoppable civil war could be starting.
Allies silent
The Lebanese army took the unusual step of warning that if the two sides did not stand back and seek compromise, its own unity could be threatened.
It is the last hope of many Lebanese for keeping the country together.
During the 15 years of civil war that started in 1975, the army split apart along sectarian lines under the strain.
Previous escalations in the current crisis, which has been building up for the last 18 months, have been headed off by cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The Saudis are close to the Sunnis and the Beirut government, and Iran - to Hezbollah and the Shia.
But their own mutual relations seem currently to be troubled, and there has been no sign of decisive intervention by these influential outside powers to calm the situation.
Subject: Hezbolla condemns Cabinet, that condemns Hezbollah 'coup' Fri May 09, 2008 11:04 pm
Hezbolla condemns Cabinet, that condemns Hezbollah 'coup'
Lebanon's cabinet has said the seizure of most of western Beirut by the Shia group Hezbollah was "a bloody coup".
The Western-backed governing coalition said it was aimed at increasing Iran's influence and restoring that of Syria.
At least 15 people have been killed in three days of clashes between government and opposition supporters. Fighting died down later on Friday.
Washington restated its backing for the government, saying that Hezbollah was killing innocent civilians.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States was committed to helping the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
"We will stand by the Lebanese government and peaceful citizens of Lebanon through this crisis and provide the support they need to weather this storm," she said in a statement.
The gunmen, who also back Hezbollah's Shia opposition allies, have forced the closure of pro-government media.
The opposition has said Hezbollah and its allies will maintain roadblocks around Beirut until there is a solution to the political crisis.
But the Lebanese army is now also on the streets protecting Saad Hariri, a Sunni leader of the governing coalition, and other leading figures who support the cabinet.
The fighting was sparked by a government move on Monday to shut down Hezbollah's telecoms network.
Civil war fears
"The armed and bloody coup which is being implemented aims to return Syria to Lebanon and extend Iran's reach to the Mediterranean," the Lebanese government said in a statement, after holding an emergency session.
"Violence will not terrorise us, but it will increase our resolve," it said.
Mr Siniora was reportedly holed up with several ministers in his heavily guarded in central Beirut.
The Lebanese army did not intervene to stop Hezbollah fighters from seizing large swaths of western Beirut.
The UN Security Council has urged the rival parties to stop fighting amid fears of civil war breaking out.
Lebanon was plunged into civil war from 1975-90, drawing in Syria and Israel, the two regional powers.
Analysts say the key to avoiding such a conflict this time may be the neutrality of the army, and its ability to withstand the sectarian tensions.
Political deadlock
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose country long dominated Lebanon, said on Friday that the political crisis there was an "internal matter".
Having withdrawn its army from the country in 2005, Syria denies meddling in Lebanon's internal politics.
But Damascus has been accused of involvement in the assassination over the past three years of several anti-Syrians, including Rafik Hariri, a former prime minister.
Lebanon has been without a president since late 2007, amid deadlock between the ruling coalition and Hezbollah-led opposition over the make-up of the government.
Earlier, media offices owned by Saad Hariri were shut after being attacked by militants loyal to Hezbollah.
The army moved in after gunmen besieged TV station Future News and partially set fire to the offices of al-Mustaqbal newspaper. Mr Hariri's radio station was also silenced.
'Save Lebanon from hell'
A compromise was reached for the premises to be taken over and protected by the Lebanese army at the price of going off the air.
Several Sunni neighbourhoods in western Beirut, considered strongholds of Lebanon's ruling bloc, have reportedly been over-run by militants from Hezbollah and its Shia ally Amal.
A rocket-propelled grenade hit the fence of the heavily protected home of Mr Hariri in the Koreitem neighbourhood, officials said.
The urban warfare has shut down Lebanon's seaport and all but closed the international airport, with burning barricades on major roads in Beirut.
The BBC's Jim Muir in the city says it all amounts to a humiliating blow to the government.
It appears to have badly overplayed its hand in moving to close Hezbollah's telecoms network on Tuesday, he says.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has called the move a "declaration of war".
Mr Hariri said it was a "misunderstanding" and urged gunmen from both sides to withdraw "to save Lebanon from hell".
Subject: The Tango Continues: Hezbollah to end Beirut seizure Sat May 10, 2008 8:26 pm
The Tango Continues: Hezbollah to end Beirut seizure
Hezbollah has agreed to withdraw its gunmen from Beirut after the Lebanese army settled tensions between the Shia group and armed government supporters.
The army revoked two key government measures that had led to four days of street fighting between the two sides, leaving at least 37 people dead.
Hezbollah had seized large parts of the city, but said it was now handing control back to the army.
But it has vowed to continue civil disobedience until its demands are met.
A Hezbollah statement said: "The Lebanese opposition will end all armed presence in Beirut so that the capital will be in the hands of the army."
Funeral shootings
The fighting was sparked by a government move to shut down Hezbollah's telecoms network and the removal of the chief of security at Beirut airport for alleged Hezbollah sympathies.
Those decisions were referred to the army which shelved them, and called on all parties to return to the status quo before the fighting.
The BBC's Jim Muir, in Beirut, says the army's proposals offer a face-saving compromise that allows the government to back down.
He says the streets are expected to be calmer and the international airport is likely to reopen.
Earlier, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called on the army to restore law and order, saying the country would not fall to Hezbollah after four days of street battles which saw the Shia movement drive supporters of the government out of western Beirut.
In his first response to Hezbollah's de facto takeover of the west of the capital, Mr Siniora said his government would never declare war against the Shia group.
Also on Saturday, at least two people were killed after gunfire broke out during a funeral in a Sunni area of Beirut when unidentified gunmen targeted the funeral procession of a Sunni civilian killed during clashes on Friday.
Subject: Statist Tango: Civil war fears grip Lebanon 
Thu May 08, 2008 9:30 pm
