Translated material
Lebanon on the brink of chaos
The evacuation of Russians was successful
Tomorrow three dozen Russians will fly to Moscow from Damascus, where they were taken by buses from Beirut yesterday. There, since Thursday , clashes between supporters of the pro-Western government and the armed formations of the Shiite movements Hezbollah , Amal and their Christian ally General Michel Aoun have taken place, claiming at least 40 lives. They occupied West Beirut and blocked the road to the international airport, making it impossible for Russians to fly out of Beirut on Saturday. Although the army's intervention stopped the fighting in the capital, fighting flared up the night before last in the northern city of Tripoli and near the Druze-populated town of Alei. Together with the Russians, two Portuguese tennis coaches traveled by bus from Beirut to Damascus - they brought Russian tennis players to a tournament in Lebanon.Yesterday, the foreign ministers of the League of Arab States (LAS) gathered in Cairo to find ways to get Lebanon out of the crisis. Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa recalled that the settlement plan for Lebanon approved by this organization in January provides for “the immediate holding of presidential elections, without any preconditions.” A new electoral law should also be developed, on the basis of which parliamentary elections will be held in 2009.
The clashes began after the government of Fouad al-Siniora on May 6, at the instigation of its ally and MP Walid Jumblatt, declared illegal Hezbollah’s communications network, which it considers “an integral part of the arsenal of the Lebanese resistance.” The government also removed the chief of security at the capital's airport for helping Hezbollah place video cameras there. After this, the opposition took to the streets and even destroyed the mouthpiece of government forces - the Al-Mustaqbal television building.
The prime minister blamed the opposition for the coup. It is assumed that through illegal tracking systems it was even possible to organize an assassination attempt on one of the government members. Nevertheless, the prime minister hastened to declare that he “did not declare war on Hezbollah.” The prime minister handed over the resolution of the dispute with the opposition to the discretion of the army, which is gradually taking control of the most conflict-ridden areas.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called for “the removal of militants from the Lebanese streets, no matter what groups they belong to” and “to exclude foreign interference in the affairs of Lebanon, no matter where it comes from.” The statement followed a US demand that Iran and Syria “end their support to Hezbollah, which has destabilizing consequences for Lebanon.”
Following the military's intervention, Hezbollah said it would end its armed presence in Beirut but would continue its campaign of "civil disobedience" with barricades in the streets. By the middle of yesterday, militants had cleared almost all occupied areas of Beirut and Tripoli, but on Saturday 19 people were killed in Lebanon when Shiites attacked a Sunni funeral procession in the capital, and supporters of Sunni leader Saad Hariri, the son of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in 2005 , tried to storm one of Hezbollah’s offices.
Lebanon has not seen such bloodshed since the civil war of 1975-1990. The country has been in crisis since November 24, when the term of office of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud ended. Since then, parliament has made 18 unsuccessful attempts to elect Michel Suleiman to replace him. In words, the opposition is not against his candidacy, but demands key positions in the future government. The next attempt to elect a president should be made on May 13, unless this date is postponed due to events.
“Hezbollah feels its strength, because after the conflict with Israel two years ago, all Lebanese recognized that it is the only force capable of resisting its army,” Georgy Mirsky, chief researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Vremya Novostey. But “the Lebanese Shiites, although they make up approximately 40% of the country, do not have a clear advantage, and it is unlikely that anyone will dare to start a new civil war, taking into account the experience of the previous one.” “The patron of Hezbollah, Shiite Iran, has become a heavyweight player on the regional field, the Arabs are afraid of him and will not allow a new war in Lebanon,” our interlocutor is sure.