The Lebanese Opposition Continues Sit-In and Washinton Worried
The center of the Lebanese capital was still clogged with a large number of supporters of the Lebanese opposition who came in by the hundreds of thousands to demonstrate and to stage a sit-in, called by the leadership of the opposition with the goal of pressuring [the government] towards the formation of a unity government.
The sit-inners arrived from many regions of the country, the Lebanese media carrying only the response to the opposition demands. Calls demanding the fall of the government of President [of the ministers] Fouad Assanyoura were repeated. All of this was accompanied by a deployment of Lebanese Army and security forces.
The sit-inners had set up camp on the two streets leading to the "Government Saray", location of the office of the Lebanese Prime Minister. But Al-Jazeera correspondents reported that the opposition force had announced lifting the siege on the Saray which a number of ministers, in addition to Assanyoura, have been using as an office since the assassination of the Minister of Industry Bayar Aljameel last month.
The sit-in began with massive demonstrations in which hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters participated. "General" Michel Aoun, leader of the Free National Front, began the speeches criticizing the government, calling in his speech for the Lebanese government to resign for the good of the people, which he said had come out today to express their disgust with the government's performance.
Aoun said that the opposition front was not trying to topple the government with the goal of taking power itself. He added that the current government was trying to [stay illegitimately in] Lebanese political power, emphasizing that Assanyoura should resign so that there could come to replace him "another Sunni more able and knowledgable to represent the Lebanese people".
Aoun also said that the government had become unconstitutional and devoid of lawful [right], indicating that burning the constitution is an offense punishable in the courts. Aoun also launched an attack on unnamed television stations, saying that "[they have factionalist tendencies and offer factionalist views and encourage factionalism in Lebanon]".
Aoun concluded his speech by calling the demonstrators, who cheered wildly, to continue the sit-in, which he said would be open-ended, until the fall of the government of Assanyoura.
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From his side Waleed Junblaat, president of the Democratic [Party], said that the 14th of March team and the government will confront the opposition's decision to sit-in and demonstrate with complete calm.
He indicated that the current crisis in Lebanon will not be solved except through dialogue. He also renewed his rejection of what he described as Syrian-Iranian interference in Lebanon, indicating that arms were still coming into Lebanon through the Syrian border.
The American delegate to the United Nations, John Bolton, expressed the worry of the United States with regards to the demonstrations organized by the oppostion because they were part of what he described as a [sneaky] coup directed by Syria and Iran against the Lebanese government.
The Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Ivanov said that his country watched the situation in Lebanon with worry. In his interview with Al-Jazeera Ivanov also defended Russia's position of not participating in the peace-keeping forces in Lebanon.
From another side, the Mufti of Lebanon led Friday prayers in the Government Saray, reaffirming his support for the government of Assanyoura.
The Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Assanyoura reaffirmed his [oppostion] to the opposition, and said that it will not succeed in achieving its goal by taking refuge in the streets. He emphasized that opposition threats "will not [intimidate] his government, which will not be terrified by manuevers and threatening postures."
Assanyoura warned of what he called attempts to overthrow the democratic order of Lebanon and his lawful government. He affirmed that "Lebanon will not accept any scenario of [weakening public security or public and private institutions]." Assanyoura also rejected what he called the movement of Lebanon towards the thinking of many states within a state.
The Secretary General of Hezbollah Hasan Nasrollah gave a speech on Thursday calling for the start of peaceful protests to topple the government of Fu'ad Assanyoura which he described as deficient.
Hezbollah Supporters Mass in Beirut
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