Reuters: Opposition protesters cut off roads in Beirut

[Eugene]

Opposition protesters cut off roads in Beirut
23 Jan 2007 04:01:28 GMT
Source: Reuters

BEIRUT, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters blocked off several roads
in and around Lebanon's capital Beirut on Tuesday at the start of a general
strike called by the opposition, witnesses said.

They said protesters burned tyres and placed rocks and other barricades in
several streets in central Beirut, its mainly Shi'ite southern suburb and
the southern entrances of the capital.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23566990.htm

Latest Reuters AlertNet headline: LEBANESE PROTESTERS CUT OFF ONLY ROAD TO BEIRUT'S INTERNATIONAL (AIRPORT)

(BBC News)

Last Updated: Tuesday, 23 January 2007, 01:35 GMT

Tension as Lebanon strike looms

By Jim Muir
BBC News, Beirut

Tension is rising in Lebanon, where the Hezbollah-led opposition has called
a general strike for Tuesday.

The government has urged people to go to work as normal.

There are fears of trouble if demonstrators try to block the roads - something
the security forces have been ordered to resist.

Hezbollah wants the formation of a national unity government in which it and
its allies have a big enough share to carry a veto.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6288503.stm

[Scurrilous]

1. 1 dead, 10 hurt as opposition moves to topple Lebanon gov't

<snip>

"One person was killed and at least 10 others wounded Tuesday in clashes during the first hours of a Lebanese general strike called by the opposition to try to topple Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's Western-backed government.

The government supporter was killed and four others were wounded in a gunfight with opposition followers in northern Lebanon, security sources said.

They said members of the pro-government Future movement and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) exchanged fire in the village of Halba.

In the ancient Christian town of Byblos, three people were wounded when a gunman fired on protesters, security sources said. Soldiers arrested the gunman and seized weapons from his house.

Two protesters were wounded in a similar shooting in Batroun, and a member of a pro-Syrian opposition group was seriously wounded in an incident near the mountain village of Sofar.

In other demonstrations across Lebanon, some scuffles broke out between protesters and pro-government loyalists, especially in Christian areas.

Thousands of protesters blocked main roads in Beirut and around the country with rubble and burning tires as the strike began."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/816821.html

[wisteria]

2. Protesters barricade roads across Lebanon

Senator Kerry saw this coming. He warned us of this. Where is f*king Bush,were are all of our other supposed leaders? How about the media? David Gegory interviewed Kerry recently and tired to discuss this important issue and Gregory was more concerned about 08. Lebanon's democracy is fading fast.


From MSNBC,


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16765115 /

“The opposition is attempting a coup by force ... This is not a strike. This is military action, a true aggression and I’m afraid this could develop into clashes between citizens,” Fatfat, the youth and sports minister, told Al-Arabiya.

From Senator Kerry,

"Lost in the shadows of Iraq, the struggle to save the fragile democracy born of the Cedar Revolution has reached a moment of truth. If America does not act now, this key front in the broader struggle between moderates and extremists for the future of the Arab world will be lost -- and the consequences will long be felt throughout the region. The radicals' ambitions for overthrow move from Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in Lebanon to President Mahmound Abbas in Ramallah to Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki in Iraq. They are determined to achieve a clean sweep."


http://www.johnkerry.com/news/articles/newsarticle.html ...

The video,


http://video.johnkerry.com/video/flash/122006_nbc.html



Somedays, I just can't take it anymore. The ignorance and the incompetence, the lies.

[StudentDUer]

3. I see what's happening in Lebanon as a brilliant move of nonviolent resistance

It may be bad for US geopolitics, but anything that doesn't serve the elite class in the region is.

[wisteria]

5. So you are against a democracy in Lebanon and support Hesbolah?

Oh, and it is an attempted coup, it is not a non violent protest.

[StudentDUer]

8. It's a nonviolent protest designed to topple a corrupt government

And despite how Western media is portraying it, the poor Christians have joined in the protest as well. It's much larger than Hezb'Allah

[EFerrari]

6. Welcome to DU, StudentDUer.

:)

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

11. It'd be a hell of a lot more brilliant...

...if it were actually nonviolent.

[Tempest]

4. Please change the title of your subject line

Per LBN rules, the subject line has to be the headline title of the article.

[wisteria]

7. Thank you, changed it. n/t

[mike_c]

9. it is NOT up to the U.S. to intervene in what Kerry calls...

..."the broader struggle between moderates and extremists." We have helped create this situation. We need to stop aggravating it rather than intervening further.

[MrPrax]

10. So for the record...

John Kerry thinks that unpopular fascist inspired parties like the Phalanges/Kataeb Social Democratic Party, modeled after Franco and whose Founder, Patriarch and Hero, Pierre Gemayel was deeply impressed by Hitler's 1936 Olympics, are the moderates...while the 'extremists' are the ones that have been providing all the goods and services (medical, education, etc) the corrupt government won't (and really good democrats like Kerry have consistently failed to provide for fellow Americans)...

:shrug:

Early Prediction; when Latin America heats up, Kerry will re-discover his Nicaguara leadership and 'expertise' and find that Daniel Ortega is an extremist and a THREAT to the fragile democracy there...



Nicaragua to Reestablish Free Education and Healthcare

Managua, January 17.—The reestablishment of free education and medical assistance, one of the campaign promises of President Daniel Ortega, is coming into fruition in Nicaragua, reported Prensa Latina on Wednesday.

Miguel de Castilla, the new Education minister has told school principals it is now prohibited to receive money for registration, monthly payments and school materials and other items.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Maritza Quant announced the elimination of private health services in the country’s public hospitals.

The official said patients will no longer have to pay for medicines, surgery or clinical tests at the state hospitals and health centers.

Granma

...but then again, what would someone expect from some rich Bostonian that went to the same exclusive fraternity as Bush and couldn't possibly 'eat' the same Philly cheese steak sandwich enjoyed by millions even if it's JUST a 2 minute 'photo-op' to fool people your a regular guy...

[wisteria]

12. Whatever. n/t

[Eugene]

13. Reuters: Opposition lifts roadblocks across Lebanon

Opposition lifts roadblocks across Lebanon
23 Jan 2007 20:03:25 GMT
Source: Reuters

BEIRUT, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Lebanon's opposition began removing roadblocks
across the country on Tuesday night after suspending a general strike and
halting protests aimed at toppling the government, a senior opposition
source said.

"All roads in various areas, including that leading to the airport, will be
reopened shortly," the source said. He had said that the move was agreed
by various opposition forces, including Hezbollah, after a day of clashes
killed three people and wounded 133.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23544815.htm