Learn Mandarin online - Commander: Lebanese unrest may spiral

WORLD / Middle East

Commander: Lebanese unrest may spiral

(AP)
Updated: 2006-12-06 09:32

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Shiite Muslims on Tuesday buried a man killed in street
clashes in a Sunni Muslim neighborhood as Lebanon's army commander warned
the military may not be able to contain further protests linked to the
country's tense political standoff.

Lebanese supporters of Hezbollah and their allies light candles on a
barbed wire near the Government House, after the funeral of Ahmed Ali
Mahmoud who was killed Sunday during clashes which erupted between groups
of Shiites and Sunnis, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday Dec. 5, 2006.
[AP]

Army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman urged politicians to compromise,
according to comments quoted by several Beirut newspapers.

After another night of unrest in the capital, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora
warned the situation could get out of control.

"No one can impose control on the streets and this has been proven," he
told hundreds of supporters who converged throughout the day on his
office complex, which was ringed by barbed wire, combat troops and riot
police.

Outside, thousands of opposition protesters were gathered near Saniora's
offices and in several other downtown squares in yet another evening of
rallies aimed at bringing down the government. Many have been camped out
near the prime minister's headquarters since Friday.

In a new tactic Tuesday night, they aimed two powerful floodlights at the
government complex. Troops installed more barbed wire and other
fortifications.

Lebanon's political confrontation breaks down on dangerous sectarian
lines. The US-backed government is supported largely by Sunnis, while the
opposition - led by the pro-Syrian Hezbollah - enjoys wide support among
Shiites. Lebanon's Christians are split between the two camps. Hezbollah
is demanding the formation of a new government giving it and its allies a
larger share of power.

The standoff shows no sign of waning despite calls from the two sides for
dialogue to resolve their differences. The Arab League secretary general
has visited to try to help, as did Jordan's foreign minister. Egypt's
Beirut envoy also has been making the rounds.

After several days of trading accusations in the media, rival Lebanese
leaders opened direct channels. A Sunni scholar in the opposition went to
the government headquarters to discuss ideas on resolving the crisis and
the government gave him its own proposals, including the possible
expansion of the current Cabinet to satisfy opposition demands, youth and
sports minister Ahmed Fatfat told reporters.

Shiite leaders tried to put the lid on the boiling sectarian tension and
prevent revenge attacks after the killing of 21-year-old Shiite protester
Ahmed Mahmoud, who was shot while walking Sunday with other protesters
through the Sunni neighborhood of Qasqas. Twenty one people were wounded
in the violence.

In a Shiite district not far from the shooting scene, Mahmoud's comrades
from the Shiite Amal party and relatives took turns carrying his coffin.
About 2,000 people, many holding Lebanese and green Amal flags, marched
behind. A band played martial music. Some of the Shiites beat their heads
with their hands in a traditional sign of mourning.

The funeral march made its way to the Rawdat al-Shahidein cemetery, where
Sheik Abdul-Amir Kabalan, a senior Shiite cleric, led the prayer over the
coffin amid wails of relatives and calls of "God is great."

"It is (religiously) prohibited for a Shiite to kill a Sunni, a Sunni to
kill a Shiite, a Druse to kill a Shiite, a Shiite to kill a Druse and a
Christian to kill a Muslim," said Kabalan, deputy leader of the Supreme
Shiite Council, the religious governing body of the 1.2 million Shiites,
Lebanon's largest sect. "It is prohibited to fight each other, to provoke
and curse each other."

1 2 

Top World News 

� John Bolton quits UN post

� Pakistan would give up claim to Kashmir

� Bush: Iraq progress too slow

� Chavez pledges 'to expand revolution' after election win

� Clinton hires national fundraiser

Today's Top News 

� Party gets tough in fight against corruption

� Ethanol output has corn prices popping

� Oil pricing method to change: report

� Gates: US not winning in Iraq

� WB: Poverty relief efforts impressive

Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours

Learn Chinese, Chinese School, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet