Lebanese march in support of Syria’s presence

11/30/2004 7:50:00 PM GMT

Tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens were expected to march in Beirut on Tuesday in support of Syrian troops’ presence in the country.

Banners of Lebanese president Emile Lahoud alongside Syrian president Bashar Assad lined the path of the rally.

Cars with loudspeakers had moved around Beirut before the demonstration calling on people to participate in the protest and "confront the American-Zionist conspiracy."

The organizers rented buses to transport the demonstrators from all over Lebanon to the capital. Some private schools in central Beirut have also decided to close for the day. Lebanese sources said that the army will accompany demonstrators in helicopters.

The march is organized by pro-government, left-wing and Arab nationalist organizations, including the Hezbollah movement. It is also organized by the Baath Party, the Amal Movement, the SSNP and the Phalange Party, religious groups such as Dar al-Ifta and federations such as the General Labor Federation.

The rally’s organizers said that they expected one million people to join the demonstration. Exiled General Michel Aoun told reporters in Paris that Syrian intelligence officers are hoping to bring 700,000 Syrian workers to march in the protest.

A senior Hezbollah official said: "We are here to declare the right of the Lebanese from all sides to express their opinion.

"We hope that there won't be any provocative slogans during the protest. We are keen on focusing on national issues rather than provocative ones."

Many Lebanese citizens are angry at a recent UN Security Council resolution that demanded Syria to withdraw its forces from Lebanon.

The demonstrators, supported by Lahoud, say that the 14,000 Syrian forces are necessary to keep the peace between ethnic and religious groups in the country.

'No Right to interfere'

"The United States, France or the United Nations have no right to come and interfere in internal Lebanese affairs," said Ahmed Barini, a student from north Lebanon.

Opposition politicians have criticized the rally and warned of the consequences of defying the United Nations. They also cautioned that the march might result in greater conflicts within Lebanon.

On the other hand, a president of a pro-government party asserted that Tuesday's rally is not against any group. "The demonstration is not sectarian but aims to assert the national unity, the single will of all Lebanese and their cooperation with Syria," Syrian Social Nationalist Party's (SSNP) president Gebran Araiji said.

The march comes two weeks after about 3,000 students rallied in Beirut to protest against the presence of Syrian forces in Lebanon.

Syria first dispatched forces to Lebanon in 1976, at the beginning of the civil war there. Most of the troops remained in the country after the conflict ended in 1990.