Lebanon's Government Quits in Face of Mass Protest
Mon Feb 28, 2005 03:44 PM ET


By Lucy Fielder
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Syrian-backed government resigned on Monday in
a surprise decision greeted with jubilation by thousands of protesters in
central Beirut gathering to demand the withdrawal of Syrian troops.

Prime Minister Omar Karami's government came under unprecedented pressure
after the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
Protesters turned their sights on the president and demanded he also step
down.

"The people have won," main opposition leader Walid Jumblatt told LBC
television after Karami announced the resignation of the cabinet to a
parliament session debating Hariri's killing.

Ecstatic protesters, having got their wish for the government's resignation,
chanted "Syria out" and "Freedom, sovereignty, independence." Syria has
wielded political and military power in its smaller neighbor for decades.

They also chanted "Lahoud, you're turn is next," in reference to pro-Syrian
President Emile Lahoud.

Martyrs Square, by Hariri's grave, was a sea of Lebanese flags -- red and
white with a cedar tree in the center.

Thousands of protesters watched the debate live on large screens while
loudspeakers blared patriotic songs.

Cheers and applause erupted when Karami resigned. In parliament, opposition
MPs wearing the red-and-white scarves that have come to symbolize their
movement, gave a standing ovation.

"Out of concern that the government does not become an obstacle to the good
of the country, I announce the resignation of the government I had the honor
to lead," Karami said.

A 22-year-old Karami supporter was shot dead as supporters of the prime
minister rioted in his home town of Tripoli, firing assault rifles in the
air and burning tires and photographs of Hariri, witnesses and hospital
sources said a

Karami's government had a majority and was expected to win a no-confidence
vote that was to close the debate on the killing that brought back memories
of Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war.

But peaceful protests against the government and its Syrian backers were
unprecedented in their scale and scope.

On Monday, banks, schools and businesses closed in a general strike the
opposition called to coincide with the debate. A government ban on protests
escalated the tension, but thousands defied it, some by camping out
overnight in central Beirut.

Hundreds of Lebanese soldiers with assault rifles had fanned out in downtown
Beirut and barred roads to the protest scene and to parliament with metal
barricades and barbed wire. But protesters who pushed through met little
resistance.

A Syrian official source said the resignation was a Lebanese "internal
affair."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters the event "represents
an opportunity for the Lebanese people to have a government that is truly
representative of their country's diversity."

NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told an Italian newspaper a total
withdrawal of his country's 14,000 troops from Lebanon, would be linked to
peace with arch-foe Israel and was not therefore imminent.

"From a technical viewpoint, the repatriation (of Syrian forces) could
happen within the end of the year. But from a strategic viewpoint it will
only happen if we get serious guarantees. In a word, peace," Assad said.

Jumblatt offered an olive branch, appealing for calm and calling for a
national unity government including opposition figures to lead in the runup
to May parliamentary elections.

"I believe the main aim was to bring down the government. We achieved this.
Today we are at a new crossroads in the history of the country ... we have
entered a stage where there must be calm," he said.

Opponents of Syria's presence just wanted it to implement the Taif Accord
that ended the civil war, Jumblatt told CNN.

"I think we should now enter into serious negotiations with the Syrians
according to the Taif agreement which implies honorable withdrawal from
Lebanon," he said.

Taif required that Syrian troops redeploy to eastern Lebanon then withdrawal
would be negotiated.

"The battle is long, and this is the first step, this is the battle for
freedom, sovereignty and independence," opposition MP Ghattas Khouri told
the crowd.

Opposition MPs and many ordinary Lebanese hold Damascus and Beirut
responsible for the deaths of Hariri and 17 others when a bomb blew apart
his motorcade two weeks ago to the day.

Assad again denied Syria had a hand in the bombing in the interview with la
Repubblica newspaper. "For us it would be like political suicide," he said.

"The time has come for the Lebanese people to be able to face their own
decisions," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State David Satterfield, in Beirut for
four days, said earlier on Monday. (Additional reporting by Nadim Ladki, Lin
Noueihed and Roula Najem)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruh-roh. If the Iraqi WMD *are* hidden in the Bekaa Valley region (as some
have suggested), Syria has to be sweating the fact that they won't have a
friendly government in there any longer to help them conceal the fact.

"NOYB" wrote in message
link.net...

Ruh-roh. If the Iraqi WMD *are* hidden in the Bekaa Valley region (as
some have suggested), Syria has to be sweating the fact that they won't
have a friendly government in there any longer to help them conceal the
fact.

New evidence: Saddam's WMD in Lebanon
Weapons transferred to Syria before war, then to Bekaa Valley
May 20, 2004
WorldNetDaily

Over the last few months, the U.S. intelligence community has received new
evidence a sizable amount of Iraqi WMD systems, components and platforms
were transferred to Syria in the weeks leading up to the U.S.-led war in
Iraq, reports Geostrategy-Direct, the global intelligence news service.

But chances are the Bush administration won't be releasing this information
for a while.

The convoys were spotted by U.S. satellites in early 2003, but the contents
of the WMD convoys from Iraq to Syria were not confirmed.

Confirmation later came from Iraqi scientists and technicians questioned by
a U.S. team that was searching for Saddam's conventional weapons. But all
they knew was the convoys were heading west to Syria.

But over the last few months, U.S. intelligence managed to track the Iraqi
WMD convoy to Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

Through the use of satellites, electronic monitoring and human intelligence,
the intelligence community has determined that much, if not all, of Iraq's
biological and chemical weapons assets are being protected by Syria, with
Iranian help, in the Bekaa Valley.

The Syrians received word from Saddam Hussein in late 2002 that the Iraqi
WMD would be arriving and Syrian army engineering units began digging huge
trenches in the Bekaa Valley.

Saddam paid more than $30 million in cash for Syria to build the pits,
acquire the Iraqi WMD and conceal them.

At first, U.S. intelligence thought Iraqi WMD was stored in northern Syria.
But in February 2003 a Syrian defector told U.S. intelligence the WMD was
buried in or around three Syrian Air Force installations.

But intelligence sources said the Syrians kept dual-use nuclear components
for themselves while transferring the more incriminating material to
Lebanon.

And some more good news:


Saudis Tell Syria to Withdraw From Lebanon

7 minutes ago

By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt - Saudi officials told Syrian President Bashar Assad on
Thursday that he must fully withdraw troops from Lebanon and begin soon or
face strains in Saudi-Syrian ties. Assad promised only to study the idea of
a partial withdrawal by later this month.



The kingdom took a tough line as Assad met with the Saudi leader, Crown
Prince Abdullah, and other officials in Riyadh. So far, Damascus has
resisted Arab pressure for a quick pullout from Lebanon.


Saudi officials told Assad the kingdom insists on the full withdrawal of all
Syrian military and intelligence forces from Lebanon and wants it to start
"soon," according to a Saudi official who spoke by telephone from Riyadh.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even the US has more allies in the Middle East than Syria.

On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 17:34:50 GMT, "NOYB" wrote:

And some more good news:


Saudis Tell Syria to Withdraw From Lebanon

7 minutes ago

By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt - Saudi officials told Syrian President Bashar Assad on
Thursday that he must fully withdraw troops from Lebanon and begin soon or
face strains in Saudi-Syrian ties. Assad promised only to study the idea of
a partial withdrawal by later this month.



The kingdom took a tough line as Assad met with the Saudi leader, Crown
Prince Abdullah, and other officials in Riyadh. So far, Damascus has
resisted Arab pressure for a quick pullout from Lebanon.


Saudi officials told Assad the kingdom insists on the full withdrawal of all
Syrian military and intelligence forces from Lebanon and wants it to start
"soon," according to a Saudi official who spoke by telephone from Riyadh.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even the US has more allies in the Middle East than Syria.


Let's see...Saudi Arabia gets into it with Syria. We go in to Saudi Arabia to
provide 'assistance' and take on Syria while we're there. Saudi Arabia then
'asks' us to stick around and protect them and their oil, so we put in a few air
fields and other installations. We just 'happen' to be right across the pond
from Iran.

Could get really interesting!

John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

"John H" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 17:34:50 GMT, "NOYB" wrote:

And some more good news:


Saudis Tell Syria to Withdraw From Lebanon

7 minutes ago

By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt - Saudi officials told Syrian President Bashar Assad on
Thursday that he must fully withdraw troops from Lebanon and begin soon or
face strains in Saudi-Syrian ties. Assad promised only to study the idea
of
a partial withdrawal by later this month.



The kingdom took a tough line as Assad met with the Saudi leader, Crown
Prince Abdullah, and other officials in Riyadh. So far, Damascus has
resisted Arab pressure for a quick pullout from Lebanon.


Saudi officials told Assad the kingdom insists on the full withdrawal of
all
Syrian military and intelligence forces from Lebanon and wants it to start
"soon," according to a Saudi official who spoke by telephone from Riyadh.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even the US has more allies in the Middle East than Syria.


Let's see...Saudi Arabia gets into it with Syria.

Saudi Arabia isn't going to get into it with Syria. But I'm glad that
they're taking our (and the rest of the World's) side on this one.


We go in to Saudi Arabia to
provide 'assistance' and take on Syria while we're there. Saudi Arabia
then
'asks' us to stick around and protect them and their oil, so we put in a
few air
fields and other installations.

We won't go back into Saudi Arabia. We left there because our presence was
bringing too much heat on the Saudi Royal family. They're in the midst of a
civil war against the Wahabbists in their own country.

"NOYB" wrote in message
.net...

"John H" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 17:34:50 GMT, "NOYB" wrote:

And some more good news:


Saudis Tell Syria to Withdraw From Lebanon

7 minutes ago

By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt - Saudi officials told Syrian President Bashar Assad on
Thursday that he must fully withdraw troops from Lebanon and begin soon
or
face strains in Saudi-Syrian ties. Assad promised only to study the idea
of
a partial withdrawal by later this month.



The kingdom took a tough line as Assad met with the Saudi leader, Crown
Prince Abdullah, and other officials in Riyadh. So far, Damascus has
resisted Arab pressure for a quick pullout from Lebanon.


Saudi officials told Assad the kingdom insists on the full withdrawal of
all
Syrian military and intelligence forces from Lebanon and wants it to
start
"soon," according to a Saudi official who spoke by telephone from Riyadh.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even the US has more allies in the Middle East than Syria.


Let's see...Saudi Arabia gets into it with Syria.

Saudi Arabia isn't going to get into it with Syria. But I'm glad that
they're taking our (and the rest of the World's) side on this one.


We go in to Saudi Arabia to
provide 'assistance' and take on Syria while we're there. Saudi Arabia
then
'asks' us to stick around and protect them and their oil, so we put in a
few air
fields and other installations.

We won't go back into Saudi Arabia. We left there because our presence
was bringing too much heat on the Saudi Royal family. They're in the
midst of a civil war against the Wahabbists in their own country.

Ding, Ding, Ding give that man a prize!

On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 13:27:38 -0500, John H wrote:

Let's see...Saudi Arabia gets into it with Syria. We go in to Saudi Arabia
to provide 'assistance' and take on Syria while we're there. Saudi Arabia
then 'asks' us to stick around and protect them and their oil, so we put
in a few air fields and other installations. We just 'happen' to be right
across the pond from Iran.

Could get really interesting!

Haven't been paying much attention, have you John? American troops in
Saudi *is* the reason bin Laden declared war on us. One of bin Laden's
demands was for American forces to leave Saudi, and of course our CIC
accommodated the terrorist. Perhaps, that is why we haven't heard much
from bin Laden lately, all his demands have been met.

On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 14:22:38 -0500, thunder wrote:

On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 13:27:38 -0500, John H wrote:

Let's see...Saudi Arabia gets into it with Syria. We go in to Saudi Arabia
to provide 'assistance' and take on Syria while we're there. Saudi Arabia
then 'asks' us to stick around and protect them and their oil, so we put
in a few air fields and other installations. We just 'happen' to be right
across the pond from Iran.

Could get really interesting!

Haven't been paying much attention, have you John? American troops in
Saudi *is* the reason bin Laden declared war on us. One of bin Laden's
demands was for American forces to leave Saudi, and of course our CIC
accommodated the terrorist. Perhaps, that is why we haven't heard much
from bin Laden lately, all his demands have been met.


Whoooosh!


John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

Here's some real news for you war mongers.

Shame, shame, shame on all of you. :-(

U=2ES. Military Deaths in Top 1,500
Drumbeat of Attacks Continues to Roil Post-Election Iraq
By TOM RAUM, AP



AFP/Getty Images


Of the 1,502 U.S. troop deaths in Iraq, at least 1,030 resulted from
hostile action, the military said.


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More on This Story:
=B7 Army Misses Recruiting Goal
=B7 Another $1.8 Billion for Wars?
=B7 Lawyer Seeks Delay for Saddam
=B7 Iraq's Oil Industry Crippled

Talk About It: Post | Chat


BAGHDAD, Iraq (March 3) - The conflict in Iraq can be told in numbers
and milestones, from the more than 1,500 troops who now have died to
the number of weapons of mass destruction found - zero.

Two American soldiers died in Baghdad of injuries from a roadside bomb
and another was killed in Babil province south of Baghdad, the military
said on Thursday. That brought to 1,502 the number of U.S. troops who
have died since President Bush launched the invasion in March 2003,
according to an AP count.

There are other milestones, other important numbers, some reached, some
soon to be, as the conflict in Iraq nears its third year.

- Roughly 60,000 National Guard and Reserve troops are deployed in
Iraq. As of Wednesday, 300 had died there since the war began.

- May 1 will be the second anniversary of Bush's ''mission
accomplished'' aircraft carrier speech in which he announced an end to
major combat operations.

- The price tag is over $300 billion and climbing, including $81.9 more
just requested from Congress. The money also covers operations in
Afghanistan and the broader war on terror, but the bulk is for Iraq.

When Lawrence Lindsey, then chairman of Bush's National Economic
Council, predicted in September 2002 that the cost of war with Iraq
could range from $100 billion to $200 billion, the White House openly
contradicted him and said the figure was far too high. He was eased out
in a shake-up of Bush's economic team.

''Americans need to take note of these sorts of milestones because it's
a way to show respect for the sacrifices of troops and reassess
strategy,'' said Michael O'Hanlon, a foreign policy analyst with the
Brookings Institution.

''But I'm much more interested in trends,'' he added, citing
indications pointing to the relative strength of the insurgency and
whether violence is declining or increasing.

On that, the signs are mixed.

The top U.S. general in the region said that about 3,500 insurgents
took part in election day violence in Iraq on Jan. 30, citing estimates
from field commanders. Army Gen. John P. Abizaid suggested the failure
to prevent millions of Iraqis from voting showed the insurgency was
losing potency.

''They threw their whole force at us, we think, and yet they were
unable to disrupt the elections because people wanted to vote,''
Abizaid told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week.

But his comments came just a day after one of the biggest attacks by
insurgents since the fall of Saddam Hussein's government in April 2003.
A suicide car bombing in the town of Hillah killed at least 125 people,
including dozens of recruits for Iraq's security forces.

From Jan. 1 until Iraq's election day, 234 people were killed and 429
people were injured in at least 55 incidents, according to an AP count.
Casualties rose in February, with 38 incidents resulting in at least
311 deaths and 433 injuries.

Meanwhile, the United States is losing some partners in its ''coalition
of the willing.''

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko announced this week that Ukraine
would withdraw its 1,650-strong military contingent by October. Poland
is withdrawing about a third of its 2,400 troops. Last year, Spain's
new Socialist government withdrew its 1,300 troops.

At the same time, Bush drew commitments during his visit to Europe last
week from all 26 NATO countries for contributions to NATO's training of
Iraqi security forces - either inside or outside Iraq or in cash.

Even harsh war critic France will send one officer to help mission
coordination at NATO headquarters in Belgium and has separately offered
to train 1,500 Iraqi military police in Qatar.

More than half of Americans remain convinced of the importance of
keeping U.S. troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized, though
polls suggest widespread doubts about the handling of the war and
Iraq's prospects. An AP-Ipsos poll in February found that 42 percent
approved of the president's handling of Iraq, while 57 percent
disapproved. A slight majority in recent AP-Ipsos polling expressed
doubts that a stable Iraq can be established.

Another milestone will come the day Iraq's security forces are
sufficiently trained and equipped to deal with the insurgency - and to
permit the United States to begin leaving.

There have been conflicting reports on this, too.

The administration says there are 140,000 ''trained and equipped''
Iraqi military, security and police officers.

But Anthony Cordesman, a military expert at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies, puts the number of Iraqi troops able to
stand up to serious insurgent attack at fewer than 20,000.

''Everything we do in Iraq will fail unless we develop a convincing
plan to create Iraqi forces'' able to defend their country without U.S.
help, Cordesman said.

Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, senior Democrat on the Armed Services
Committee, said some administration documents suggest that there are no
more than about 40,000 trained Iraq forces and that they are lightly
equipped.

''We've been given wildly different numbers of these security forces,''
Levin complained to Abizaid.

''Senator, the big question doesn't really have to do with numbers; the
question has to do with institution building,'' Abizaid responded. ''I
remind you ... that institution building takes a long time.''

''I agree,'' Levin said. ''But we shouldn't kid ourselves as to how
long it does take.''

On 3 Mar 2005 18:20:39 -0800, wrote:

Here's some real news for you war mongers.


Yes Chuck, the elections were a shining light, even amongst the negatives your
boy (or girl) put out as 'real news'.

Does attempting to provide good news to go along with the bad make one a war
monger?

Is bad news the only 'real news'?

Shame on you, Chuck!


John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."