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Thousands demand Syria leave Lebanon

BY MOHAMAD BAZZI | MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT

March 15, 2005

Lebanese opposition protesters wave Lebanese flags as they stand on a roof to watch the crowed of protesters below during a demonstration in Beirut Martyrs square, Lebanon. Many thousands of Lebanese people answered an opposition call for a massive protest to demand a full Syrian troop withdrawal, resignations of security chiefs and an international investigation into the death of former Premier Rafik Hariri. (AP PHOTO / March 14, 2005)

BEIRUT, Lebanon - In Lebanon's battle of dueling demonstrations, the score has just been tied.

At least 500,000 people -- and some estimates said many more -- jammed downtown Beirut Monday in the largest anti-Syrian protest since the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri plunged Lebanon into a crisis. The Lebanese opposition's show of strength came less than a week after Syria's supporters, led by the Shia Muslim group Hezbollah, brought a half-million people into the streets.

The dueling rallies did little to resolve the standoff over the withdrawal of 14,000 Syrian troops from Lebanon and an end to Damascus' political dominance over its smaller neighbor.

At both rallies, protesters waved the same banner: the red-and-white Lebanese flag with its green cedar tree. And both camps claim to seek national unity. But the two sides disagree sharply over Syria's role in Lebanon, and the opposition has aligned itself with the United States and Europe in trying to oust Syria. For its part, the pro-Syria camp denounced all foreign interference in Lebanon -- except for Syria's.

"There is a dangerous division in Lebanon right now," said Wael Ghattar, 36, an engineer who traveled two hours from northern Lebanon to attend Monday's rally. "But once Syria leaves, we can resolve our differences peacefully and democratically. The biggest danger is if Syria does not leave."

As Ghattar spoke, the crowd broke into rhythmic chants of "Syria out!" and "Freedom, sovereignty, independence." The chanting was so loud that it repeatedly drowned out a brass band playing the Lebanese national anthem and folk songs.

At 12:55 p.m. -- the time that a huge bomb destroyed Hariri's motorcade one month earlier as it drove along Beirut's seafront -- the crowd fell silent for two minutes. Church bells tolled and prayers warbled from the four minarets of the mosque where Hariri is buried. Many in the crowd bowed their heads; some wiped away tears.

By mid-afternoon, the throng had swelled so large that it spilled out from Martyr's Square and onto surrounding streets, highway overpasses and tunnels. At one point, organizers released thousands of red and white balloons, unleashing a deafening roar from the crowd. Many protesters wore scarves with the same colors, which have become the opposition's symbol.

Before Monday's rally, the largest opposition gathering had drawn about 70,000 people. But faced with the huge turnout by Hezbollah supporters last week, the opposition poured its resources into bringing people from all over Lebanon to downtown Beirut.

Hezbollah's rally -- which drew an eighth of the country's population -- highlighted that there is no Lebanese consensus against Syria's role, as the Bush administration has argued. Without support from Shias, the anti-Syria opposition has been hard pressed to claim it represents most Lebanese. The Shias make up 40 percent of Lebanon's population of 4 million.

The anti-Syrian opposition has long been led by Lebanese Christians, but Druze leaders and some Sunnis joined in last year. After the killing of Hariri, a Sunni, many Sunnis gravitated to the anti-Syria camp.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has said he plans to withdraw his troops in two stages, first to the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and later to the Lebanese-Syrian border. Lebanese officials say about 4,000 Syrian soldiers left Lebanon last week, but there is still no timetable for a full withdrawal. The Bush administration has demanded that Syrian troops and intelligence agents leave before Lebanon holds parliamentary elections in May.

It is unclear if Monday's turnout will change the political dynamic in the opposition's favor. The opposition scored its biggest victory Feb. 28, when popular protests forced the Syrian-backed Lebanese prime minister and his cabinet to resign. But 10 days later, Omar Karami was reappointed as premier and charged with forming a new cabinet.

So far, the opposition has refused to join a government led by any Syrian ally. The opposition, which controls 43 seats in the 128-member parliament, did not nominate its own candidate for prime minister.

Some opposition leaders tried to use the rally to appeal to Hezbollah and mend fences with Damascus. "We insist on building together with them the future of a great Lebanon," said Hariri's sister, Bahiya, who is a member of parliament.

But when she suggested that Lebanese would "stand by Syria" until the Golan Heights is liberated from Israeli occupation, she was booed by the crowd.