Surprised the left wingers didn't already post this after all the glee shown for
the last demonstration!

*******************************

This story was printed from channelnewsasia.com


Title : Almost a million Lebanese turn out to press for Syrian pullout
By :
Date : 15 March 2005 0358 hrs (SST)
URL :
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...137369/1/.html

BEIRUT : More than 800,000 people surged into central Beirut to demand an end to
Syria's near-three decade military domination of Lebanon, hurling a dramatic and
potent challenge to the pro-Syrian Lebanese government.

Ahead of the largest demonstration in the country's history, thousands of
Lebanese travelled from all over to Martyrs Square and the grave of former prime
minister Rafiq Hariri, assassinated exactly one month ago in a bomb blast.

Beirut city official Mounib Nassereddine said Monday's gathering was "at least
two and a half times" larger than last Tuesday's turnout called by pro-Syrian
Lebanese parties, notably the Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah.

Correspondents estimated the crowd last week at 400,000.

Martyrs Square, seen from above, was a vast expanse of red, the dominant color
in the Lebanese flag, which demonstrators waved in brilliant sunshine as they
sang and chanted slogans against Syria and the Lebanese leadership and called
for Lebanon's "independence" from Damascus.

Some Lebanese television stations reckoned Monday's crowd at 1.5 million.

"We say with one voice: 'no' to the Syrian military and intelligence presence,
'yes' to liberty and independence," thundered leftist political figure Elias
Attallah.

Lebanese MP Marwan Hamade, the official opening speaker, charged that Lebanese
and Syrian intelligence services were hiding the truth behind the assassination.

"You want the truth on the assassination?" he asked.

"It's lying in the dark chambers of the (Syrian-Lebanese) intelligence services
that are ruling us and that you are in the process of sweeping out."

"They killed (Hariri) because he was thwarting their plan to make Lebanon
submit. They killed him because they are the enemies of democracy and Arabism,"
Hamade declared.

"Hezbollah organized a giant demonstration last Tuesday to intimidate us," said
Nada, 35, as she travelled to Beirut from Zahle in the east.

"Today we're taking up the challenge and invite (Hezbollah) to join us because
we represent the true majority of the country."

Added Anwar: "The Syrian people are our brothers. We have ties that go back
centuries but the Syrian army and the mukhabarat (intelligence service) are no
longer welcome in Lebanon."

Huguette Yamine, 57, said Monday's political demonstration was her first.

"I came with 10 family members. We walked here all the way from the other side
of Beirut. We've had enough. I want my children to live in a free and democratic
Lebanon."

Hariri's killing, widely blamed here on Syria, has energized an opposition
movement aimed at forcing the withdrawal of all Syrian military and intelligence
units from the country.

Syria has denied involvement and on Saturday Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
gave a commitment to a UN envoy to carry out the pullback in accordance with a
United Nations Security Council resolution.

Thousands of demonstrators turned out in Syria on Monday to show their support
for Assad, the official Sana agency reported.

The demonstration in the city of Homs, north of Damascus, which was broadcast
live on state television, was not organised by the government, Sana said.

Syrian forces in Lebanon numbered about 14,000 at the time of Hariri's murder
but have since begun a redeployment, leaving north Lebanon and the mountains
over Beirut for points further east on their way home across the border.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described the Syrian pledge as "positive"
but said Washington would continue to press for full compliance with UN
Resolution 1559, approved last September.

But in an indication of the diplomatic difficulties that lie ahead, Lebanese
President Emile Lahoud insisted Sunday that the date of a final pullout would be
determined by Lebanese and Syrian authorities.

Syrian Expatriates Minister Bussaina Shaaban nonetheless told CNN Sunday that
Syrian forces would likely be out of Lebanon before legislative elections there
that are expected to take place before the end of May.

In some quarters, notably the country's Shia Muslim community, Syria is seen as
having preserved Lebanese stability in the aftermath of the country's
devastating 1975-1990 civil war.

Many Shia Muslims, who make up about 30 percent of the population, are grateful
to Syria for having supported their struggle for mainstream political power
after decades of exclusion.

Syrian forces entered Lebanon in 1976 to serve as a buffer between warring
Lebanese factions and at one point numbered 40,000. - AFP


• 800,000 pack Beirut for opposition rally
• Beirut braces for huge opposition demonstration
• Syria to withdraw one-third of its forces from Lebanon by March 31
• Assad pledges full withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon: UN

Copyright © 2003 MCN International Pte Ltd
back to channelnewsasia.com

--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

"John H" wrote in message
...
Surprised the left wingers didn't already post this after all the glee
shown for
the last demonstration!

*******************************

This story was printed from channelnewsasia.com


Title : Almost a million Lebanese turn out to press for Syrian pullout
By :
Date : 15 March 2005 0358 hrs (SST)
URL :
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...137369/1/.html

BEIRUT : More than 800,000 people surged into central Beirut to demand an
end to
Syria's near-three decade military domination of Lebanon, hurling a
dramatic and
potent challenge to the pro-Syrian Lebanese government.
snip
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."



Didn't 1,294 show up demonstrating that Syria continue to occupy Lebanon,
including 1,293 Syrians?

On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 17:53:39 -0500, "JimH" wrote:


"John H" wrote in message
.. .
Surprised the left wingers didn't already post this after all the glee
shown for
the last demonstration!

*******************************

This story was printed from channelnewsasia.com


Title : Almost a million Lebanese turn out to press for Syrian pullout
By :
Date : 15 March 2005 0358 hrs (SST)
URL :
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...137369/1/.html

BEIRUT : More than 800,000 people surged into central Beirut to demand an
end to
Syria's near-three decade military domination of Lebanon, hurling a
dramatic and
potent challenge to the pro-Syrian Lebanese government.
snip
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."



Didn't 1,294 show up demonstrating that Syria continue to occupy Lebanon,
including 1,293 Syrians?


Where'd the left go?

--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 19:59:01 -0500, John H wrote:

Where'd the left go?

You know, John, before you get to excited, you might want to consider what
is happening in Lebanon. Lebanon has either been a functioning democracy
or in a state of Civil War since it's independence. I would suggest that
a ex-Prime Minister's assassination, and various factions resorting to
street demonstrations, shows how precarious Lebanon's situation is.
Fortunately, the demonstrations have been peaceful, but unfortunately,
that could change. Before you celebrate Syria's withdrawal, consider they
were the stabilizing force that ended the 15 year Civil War.

"thunder" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 19:59:01 -0500, John H wrote:

Where'd the left go?

You know, John, before you get to excited, you might want to consider what
is happening in Lebanon. Lebanon has either been a functioning democracy
or in a state of Civil War since it's independence. I would suggest that
a ex-Prime Minister's assassination, and various factions resorting to
street demonstrations, shows how precarious Lebanon's situation is.
Fortunately, the demonstrations have been peaceful, but unfortunately,
that could change. Before you celebrate Syria's withdrawal, consider they
were the stabilizing force that ended the 15 year Civil War.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but how did they do that? Maybe we can
learn from them and apply that to Iraq. DID they have a large effective
secret police not hampered by our laws? Were the people there finally ready
for peace. Did they understand the people better?

"''Was the US Army doing the counting?''""'


no krause,,,, your mother was doing the counting,,, you fool,,,

are you off your meds again???

what happened there krause,,, someone prove you wrong again?










"HarryKrause" wrote in message
...
John H wrote:
Surprised the left wingers didn't already post this after all the glee
shown for
the last demonstration!

*******************************

This story was printed from channelnewsasia.com


Title : Almost a million Lebanese turn out to press for Syrian pullout
By : Date : 15 March 2005 0358 hrs (SST)
URL :
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...137369/1/.html

BEIRUT : More than 800,000 people surged into central Beirut to demand an
end to
Syria's near-three decade military domination of Lebanon, hurling a
dramatic and
potent challenge to the pro-Syrian Lebanese government.

Beirut city official Mounib Nassereddine said Monday's gathering was "at
least
two and a half times" larger than last Tuesday's turnout called by
pro-Syrian
Lebanese parties, notably the Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah.

Correspondents estimated the crowd last week at 400,000.


Was the US Army doing the counting?

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 03:05:41 -0500, thunder wrote:

On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 19:59:01 -0500, John H wrote:

Where'd the left go?

You know, John, before you get to excited, you might want to consider what
is happening in Lebanon. Lebanon has either been a functioning democracy
or in a state of Civil War since it's independence. I would suggest that
a ex-Prime Minister's assassination, and various factions resorting to
street demonstrations, shows how precarious Lebanon's situation is.
Fortunately, the demonstrations have been peaceful, but unfortunately,
that could change. Before you celebrate Syria's withdrawal, consider they
were the stabilizing force that ended the 15 year Civil War.

Who's celebrating?

Last week the libs were inundating the news with word of a pro-Syrian
demonstration that appeared 'anti-Bush'. This week there's another
demonstration, about twice as big, that's 'anti-Syrian'.

Why are the libs, including the news media, so mum? *That's* my question. Why is
the news not reported the same way?
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 06:21:50 -0500, hkrause wrote:

thunder wrote:
On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 19:59:01 -0500, John H wrote:


Where'd the left go?


You know, John, before you get to excited, you might want to consider what
is happening in Lebanon. Lebanon has either been a functioning democracy
or in a state of Civil War since it's independence. I would suggest that
a ex-Prime Minister's assassination, and various factions resorting to
street demonstrations, shows how precarious Lebanon's situation is.
Fortunately, the demonstrations have been peaceful, but unfortunately,
that could change. Before you celebrate Syria's withdrawal, consider they
were the stabilizing force that ended the 15 year Civil War.


Prior to the Syrians enforcing a truce in Lebanon, the country's
inhabitants lined up against each other and engaged in civil war. Last
week's demonstration "in favor" of the Syrians was conducted by the
Shi'ites. The one the other day was conducted by the Sunnis, the Druze,
and those Christians who have not gotten out of there. Of the latter
three, the Druze are the most interesting, at least to me.

In any event, it looks as if the sides are lining up again, and I
wouldn't bet against another Lebanese civil war. The Syrians have always
believed Lebanon was part of Syria, which explains why it is always
intervening in Lebanese affairs and occupying one part of the country or
another.

It is naive and premature to try to predict the outcome of any of the
current situations in the Middle East. Most of the Arab or Moslem
countries there have been ruled by one despot after another, even after
revolutions and coups aimed at removing "a harsh dictator." There is no
democracy operating in Afghanistan, even though it had some troubling
elections, and the same is true in Iraq. In the end, the people there
will decide for themselves what it is they want, and historically, it is
the people with the guns on their side who dictate the terms.

Another name for my filter. Goodbye.

--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 05:22:16 -0500, Jeff Rigby wrote:


I'm not trying to be argumentative, but how did they do that? Maybe we
can learn from them and apply that to Iraq. DID they have a large
effective secret police not hampered by our laws? Were the people there
finally ready for peace. Did they understand the people better?

Perhaps a little of "all of the above", but ultimately it was force. At
one time, Syria had 40,000 troops in Lebanon and used them, with a "green
light" from Washington. I'm not trying to portray Syria as an angel here,
they are not. However, unlike others here, I see the situation in Lebanon
as tense, and wouldn't mind seeing Syria drag it's feet removing it's
troops *until* the situation stabilizes. Lebanon would be better off
without an occupying army on it's soil, but there is a real question
whether they are strong enough to maintain order without Syria's presence.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/4308823.stm

"thunder" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 05:22:16 -0500, Jeff Rigby wrote:


I'm not trying to be argumentative, but how did they do that? Maybe we
can learn from them and apply that to Iraq. DID they have a large
effective secret police not hampered by our laws? Were the people there
finally ready for peace. Did they understand the people better?

Perhaps a little of "all of the above", but ultimately it was force. At
one time, Syria had 40,000 troops in Lebanon and used them, with a "green
light" from Washington. I'm not trying to portray Syria as an angel here,
they are not. However, unlike others here, I see the situation in Lebanon
as tense, and wouldn't mind seeing Syria drag it's feet removing it's
troops *until* the situation stabilizes. Lebanon would be better off
without an occupying army on it's soil, but there is a real question
whether they are strong enough to maintain order without Syria's presence.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/4308823.stm

They were known as the Paris of the Middle East for years. Very nice place
to live. Then they let in Arafat and is band of merry armed men and they
proceeded to try to make it into their kind of country. That is the basis
for the "Civil War" Most of the Lebanese who could left the country.
Syria, just kept some control over the "Guests"