Hezbollah Rebuilds South Beirut (AP)

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Hezbollah Rebuilds South Beirut

Sunday November 18, 2007 6:01 PM

By BASSEM MROUE

Associated Press Writer

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - The Shiite Muslim militant group
Hezbollah has launched a massive project to rebuild south
Beirut, devastated in last year's war with Israel - and it's
paying for much of the construction with international donor
funds that were meant to strengthen its top rival, the
Lebanese government.

Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's government
has been distributing the funds as compensation to families
whose homes were destroyed by Israeli bombardment so
they can build anew.

But in south Beirut, long a Hezbollah stronghold, most of
the families have promised to give their compensation -
about $53,000 each - to the militant group to redevelop
the devastated area in an ambitious plan likely to bolster
Hezbollah's standing.

The money going into the government's family compensation
program comes mainly from Islamic and Arab nations, chief
among them Saudi Arabia - a strong supporter of Saniora
and opponent of Hezbollah - which has given $570 million,
said Sanaa al-Jack, government spokeswoman for relief and
reconstruction projects.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7086150,00.html