Beirut - Lebanon's opposition Christian hardliner General
Michel Aoun has called for demonstrations on Wednesday to topple the
western-backed government of Premier Fouad Siniora and praised the
activities of the militant Islamic group Hezbollah.
Aoun indicated that demonstrating is the right of the Lebanese
people, but it was the job of the security forces to control riots.
'Rioting is banned. Security forces are responsible for banning
riots, not preventing demonstrations,' said Aoun, head of the
Free Patriotic Movement.
He was referring to a call by Lebanon's labour unions who are
planning demonstrations also on Wednesday to protest the high cost of
living in the country.
Similar calls for demonstrations in the past have developed into
riots and clashes in the streets between followers of the western-
backed government and those loyal to the Aoun opposition, led by
Syrian-backed Hezbollah.
The Christian leader launched a vehement attack on Progressive
Socialist Party leader and anti-Syrian MP Walid Jumblatt for having
disclosed that Hezbollah's communications network has reached
Christian areas northeast of Beirut.
Aoun defended his close allies Hezbollah and their private
communications network which is scattered across the country.
Lebanon's top prosecutor on Monday began investigating
allegations by Jumblatt that the militant Hezbollah group set up
surveillance cameras near the Beirut airport to monitor the comings
and goings of anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians and foreign
dignitaries.
'Finding a camera on airport road is not a security penetration,'
Aoun quipped. 'Other roads are full of cameras and they monitor us
all the time.'
'Jumblatt is factional and bloody,' Aoun added.
The allegations have stoked political tensions in the country,
giving a new twist to the war of words between Lebanese factions
backing the majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition.
Judicial officials said Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza ordered the
investigation after receiving documents from the country's defense
and interior ministers about Hezbollah's alleged placement of the
cameras just outside the airport in the Lebanese capital.
The latest crisis erupted when Jumblatt last week accused
Hezbollah of placing the cameras around the airport, which is located
in the predominantly Shiite southern Beirut suburbs and is a hotbed
for the militant group.
Jumblatt went so far as to say Hezbollah was planning
assassinations of senior leaders.
Hezbollah has dismissed the allegations and fired its own
accusations against Jumblatt.
Jumblatt also called for the expulsion of Iran's ambassador to
Beirut and the ending of weekly Iranian commercial flights to Lebanon
because they might carry weapons and money to Hezbollah, Tehran's
main ally in Lebanon.
Lebanon's ruling coalition and the opposition, supported by Iran
and Syria, are deadlocked over power-sharing in the country. The
crisis has prevented the election of a new president.
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