Lebanese warn leaders 'agree or don't come back'

Middle East Features

May 18, 2008, 19:00 GMT

Beirut - The anger of Rola Haidar, an ordinary citizen in Beirut, seems to be endemic among the Lebanese these days, as the country's sectarian leaders are meeting in Qatar for the third day consecutive day to settle their differences. 'If they do not come to an agreement, then they should not come back,' she said. Her anger is justified, many Lebanese think. The men meeting in Qatar are the same leaders who almost drove the country to the verge of a new civil war last week. 'I think all the Lebanese people - Muslims, Druze and Christians - should bloc the roads to their leaders if they come back without a tangible agreement,' Rola said. Beirut resident Samir Wehbe agreed. 'I am sorry to say we do not have real politicians in this country. Everyone is thinking about his party's interests and not the interests of Lebanon.' Under pan-Arab supervision, Lebanon's political leaders headed to Qatar on Friday in an attempt to end the 18-month long political crisis. Tensions came to a head during labour protests in Beirut last Wednesday and quickly spread to other parts of the country, culminating with the Shiite Islamic group Hezbollah seizing large swaths of the capital's Muslim sector two days later. At least 85 people were killed in the violence. Earlier Thursday, Hezbollah signalled a willingness to end its civil disobedience campaign and removed a road blockade that shut down the country's international airport for a week. The moves came after the government on Wednesday reversed its decisions to fire the airport's security chief because of his alleged connection to the militant group and to probe the Hezbollah communication network that the government deemed illegal. Lebanon has been trapped in a power vacuum since last November when pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud left office without a successor. 'Last week's fighting has inflamed the anger and resentment that has long plagued this country,' said political analyst Paul Salem. 'Trust between religious communities has always been a rare commodity in Lebanon, but now it seems to have evaporated.' The opposition led by Hezbollah are mainly Shiite Muslims, while the Western-backed majority are mainly Sunni Muslims and Druze. 'The problem if our leaders cannot find a solution, we will go back to the fighting in the streets,' Salem continued. '(A solution) will be difficult. Sectarian hatred cannot be erased ... and what has happened has left a deep wound between the Sunnis and Shiites in Lebanon and it cannot be washed away easily.' Sectarianism is on everyone's mind. Another man in the street, Hisham Souki, said: 'What happened in the past days we can describe it as a kind of a mini-explosion of a sectarian strife, which was contained at the last minute, but the greatest fear is if our leaders will not reach a solution in Qatar and that a bigger explosion happens, then what do we do?' 'We can't have peace in Lebanon unless there is no more guns and everyone accepts the legal troops,' Souki said referring to weapons in the hands of Hezbollah. The Shiite movement was the only group that did not have to hand over its weapons to the government following the 1989 Saudi-brokered Taef agreement that ended the 1975-1990 civil war. It was fighting the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and 'was considered a resistance against an occupation.' But Israel pulled its troops out of Lebanon in 2000, and Hezbollah is still armed.

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What a shame, not to recognise the real ENEMY!!May 18th, 2008 - 23:04:26

Zionist entity is out of most parts of Lebanon, but not all of it. This present problem was brought on by zionist agent Jumblatt, whose militia has been armed by Zionist entity on the south and militia of Sa'ad Hariri equiped and trained by US marines. There were 1500 Zionist paratroopers fighting along with Jumblatt soldiers. DID ANYONE MAKE NOISE IN UNO OR ANYWHERE ELSE? The COLONIAL MASTERS OF Siniora are demanding the confiscation of arms from Hizb.

Zionist entity also recognises the HizbAllaah communication, they could not penetrate as a threatening to zionist occupiers of south Lebanon. So they asked their agents and Siniora attacked the communication system of Hizb.

THE ZIONISTS AND COLONISTS ARE THE REAL ENEMIES OF LEBANON, NOT ONLY LEBANON, RATHER THE WHOLE MIDDLE EAST!!!

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Wipe OutMay 19th, 2008 - 09:29:40

The real enemies are those who preach that others are enemies. It is time to wipe out the enemy mentality.

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Others are not enmies, they want to be MASTERSMay 19th, 2008 - 09:59:56

The whole game is to be MASTERS of arabs and the ndestroy their past and their religion.

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Watch Euro-American paganism and their conspiracyMay 19th, 2008 - 10:01:38

Watch this zeistgeist.com movie

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Did you get to see this news itemMay 19th, 2008 - 10:04:23

This is news from Iraq, the freed people

www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/17/btsc.ware/index.html?eref=rss_topsto ries

Tells of the freedom, by friends for arabs

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The problem is Iran.May 19th, 2008 - 23:32:35

The problem is Iran. They support hizbullah, a terrorist group that has been transplanted into Lebanon. before 9/11 hizbullah killed more Americans then any other terrorist organization. They should be hunted down and killed off and Iran should face world condemnation for supporting them as well as other terrorists all over the world.

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juhaMay 19th, 2008 - 23:38:48

hmmmm....The ordinary citizens of Lebanon want freedom to walk the streets and shop and go to their places of praying in peace. But leaders like to put people into boxes with laws and regulations that dont allow them to practice free speach with fear of death. Hezzbollah has no internal oppisition cause it has cast a web of shutting down any critism within its organization. this allso applys to other leaders. Each protecting its own turf. Lebanon has lost its economic engine of freedom in what beriut once was, a jewel of the Middle east, where people went to the locale astablishments and enjoyed their freedom of choice. just a few years ago before the last war, Lebanon was on the march to a bright economic rebuilding, but was dashed with the conflict with the Hezzbollah and Israel.....oh well, such is the middle east, no peace till everyone is dead or dying...sad...sad sad.

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NotIranianMay 30th, 2008 - 16:53:24

It's refreshing for a change to see a middle eastern country where the people are tired of violence and just want to live together in peace. It's about time they joined the civilized world where they always belonged. The Lebonese have proven time and again that their moderate views deserve a valuable place in our world.

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IranianMay 30th, 2008 - 16:54:46

Stupid Zionist Lebonese Jews fetch my donkey whilst I make some tissue.

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GooseJun 1st, 2008 - 08:03:21

Ahhhhhahahaha hahahaha, 'Iranian' admits owning a donkey a going to get a box of tissue's. You see, I've been saying it all along, give a mu-slime a donkey and he reaches for the tissue's LOL, hhehehehe...What are the tissue's for iranian? Lets see if we can all guess..lol, whats up your sister not at home or did you 'accidently' hang her from a crane? Please, please post more of your mu-slime truths they are honestly hilarious!

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Lebanese warn leaders 'agree or don't come back'

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