The power of Nasrallah

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Last night, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah addressed the thousands of his supporters who have been rallying for his cause in the middle of downtown Beirut.

But the entire country listened.

As he railed against the current, western-backed government led by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, I toured the city. And in every neighbourhood: Sunni Muslim, Shia Muslim, even Christian – I could hear the echo of the words as I was intently listening to on the car radio – at cafes and stores, in other cars, and from the dimly lit windows of virtually every home.

It was the first time Nasrallah spoke publicly since the Hezbollah-led opposition took to protest on Dec. 1. Every day and night since then, thousands of opposition loyalists have been camping out in downtown Beirut, with no intention of leaving until they achieved their aims. A couple of days ago Hezbollah organizers even started the process of winterizing the tents.

CBC

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1. ISG study worries Lebanon’s anti-Syrian lobby

BEIRUT: The call by an elite US panel for Washington to talk to Damascus has left Beirut's anti-Syrian leaders wondering if their US ally will permit Syria to reassert itself in Lebanon in exchange for help over Iraq.The Iraq Study Group, led by former US Secretary of State James Baker, has proposed that the United States abandon its policy of shunning both Syria and Iran, accused of fomenting Iraq violence, to prevent “a slide towards chaos” there.

It is not clear if all the panel’s ideas will be adopted by US President George W. Bush, who holds up Lebanon as a model of democracy and denounces Syria as a safe haven for terrorists.

Bush on Thursday again gave strong backing to Lebanese prime minister, Fouad Siniora, and said Syria was trying to destabilise the government in Beirut.

But the public support might gave way to private concessions to Syria, some Lebanese fear, as Washington casts around for ways to extricate itself from vicious conflict in Iraq.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/09/int16.htm