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Lebanese army creating blockade (file)
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| By Ynetnews January 23, 2007 |
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One man was killed and four people were wounded Tuesday in violent clashes between Lebanese government and opposition supporters in northern Lebanon.
All of the casualties in northern Lebanon are supporters of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government.
So far, nine people were wounded in clashes across Lebanon, four in Tripoli, three in the town of Jbil and two in the capital Beirut.
Thousands of Lebanese protesters blocked main roads in Beirut and around the country Tuesday morning at the start of a general strike called by the opposition to try to topple the government.
The opposition, which includes Hizbullah, is demanding a unity government and early elections.
Opposition activists turned out early in the morning to burn tires on major highways north, south and east of the city as well as a ring road around downtown Beirut, sending black clouds of smoke billowing in the air, witnesses said. Army troops and fire engines moved in to remove the obstacles.
The road to Beirut international airport was blocked, as were the highway linking Beirut with the mountains and the highway to Damascus, the Syrian capital, Hizbullah's television stations reported.
Scores of opposition supporters took the streets and in some instances security forces stood by and watched. On the coastal highway north of Beirut at Jal el-Dib, opposition activists mobbed a fire engine and forced it to retreat.
On the mountain road at Antelias, the very few motorists on the road maneuvered their way around burning tires. One got out of his car and kicked away a burning tire to clear a passage.
The strike was called by Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and other opposition leaders. But Siniora and his pro-government supporters urged all Lebanese to ignore the call.
The strike's timing is no coincidence. In two days the International Donor's Conference in Paris is set to coneve and transfer of significant financial aid to the Siniora government will be discussed. The US has already announced it plans to transfer a large sum of money to the Lebanese government.
Hizbullah has used this conference to its advantage, claiming that the conference aims to "support the ruling group."
In a recent interview, Nasrallah said that his demands have changed. In the past, Hizbullah demanded that a third of the government's ministers be Shiite, which would give the organization the right of veto.
Nasrallah's new demands include a neutral prime minister, meaning someone other than Siniora and general elections according to amended laws that would ensure him greater representation in the cabinet.
Until these demands are met, Nasrallah called for transitional government to rule the country.
After uncovering 75 Katyusha rockets on Saturday, the Lebanese army has continued its search for weapon stockpiles and ammunition and according to Al-Mustaqbal newspaper has come across more weapons in the same area on Monday.
Reprinted with permission from Ynet. |
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