(10s of) Thousands rally in Lebanon to denounce Syria and Hezbollah

[Turborama]

Source: AFP

TENS of thousands of supporters of Lebanon's anti-Syrian opposition gathered in the Sunni stronghold of Tripoli today to denounce the regime in Damascus and its Shiite ally Hezbollah.

The rally in the northern port city was organised by the Future Movement, the main opposition party headed by ex-premier Saad Hariri, to mark the 68th anniversary of Lebanon's independence.

It came amid mounting tension over the possible collapse of the government over a UN-backed tribunal probing the 2005 assassination of Hariri's father, ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, and the revolt in neighbouring Syria.

=snip=

Several politicians who spoke at the rally appealed to Mikati to uphold the country's obligations concerning the tribunal and launched scathing attacks against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Read more: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/thousands-rally-in-lebanon-to-denounce-syria-and-hizbollah/story-e6frf7lf-1226208204564

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[Bosonic]

2. Syria booting Assad

Will probably mean the new gov will be majority Sunni (currently Shia). Making relations with Hezbollah (& Iran) frostier, and Turkey (& Saudi Arabia) warmer.

Anti-Hezbollah elements in Lebanon will also probably benefit.

[Turborama]

3. Thomas Friedman published an interesting article about this at the weekend

In the Arab World, It’s the Past vs. the Future

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: November 26, 2011

IN 2001, a book came out about George Mitchell’s diplomatic work in Northern Ireland that was entitled “To Hell With the Future, Let’s Get On With the Past.” One hopes that such a book will never be written about today’s Arab awakenings. But watching events unfold out there makes it impossible not to ask: Will the past bury the future in the Arab world or will the future bury the past?

I am awed by the bravery of the Syrian and Egyptian youths trying to throw off the tyranny of the Assad family and the Egyptian military. The fact that they go into the streets — knowing they face security forces who will not hesitate to gun them down — speaks of the deep longing of young Arabs to be free of the regimes that have so long choked their voices and prevented them from realizing their full potential.

But I am deeply worried that the longer the fighting continues in Syria and Egypt, the less chance that any stable, democratizing order will emerge anytime soon and the more likely that Syria could disintegrate into civil war. You can’t exaggerate how dangerous that would be. When Tunisia was convulsed by revolution, it imploded. When Egypt was convulsed by revolution, it imploded. When Libya was convulsed by revolution, it imploded. If Syria is convulsed by revolution, it will not implode. Most Arab states implode. Syria explodes.

Why? Because Syria is the keystone of the Levant. It borders and balances a variety of states, sects and ethnic groups. If civil war erupts there, every one of Syria’s neighbors will cultivate, and be cultivated by, different Syrian factions — Sunnis, Alawites, Kurds, Druse, Christians, pro-Iranians, pro-Hezbollahites, pro-Palestinians, pro-Saudis — in order to try to tilt Syria in their direction. Turkey, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Iraq, Iran, Hamas, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel all have vital interests in who rules in Damascus, and they will all find ways to partner with proxies inside Syria to shape events there. It will become a big Lebanon-like brawl.

Continues: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/opinion/sunday/Friedman-in-the-arab-world-its-the-past-vs-the-future.html