Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., November 29, 2009 Kislev 12, 5770 | | Israel Time: 12:06 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Jewish World Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Focus U.S.A. Strenger than Fiction Business Travel Magazine Week's End Anglo File Books
Share |
Last update - 00:00 04/01/2008
Lebanese ruling majority urges Arab states to halt Syria meddling
By News Agencies
Tags: Hassan Nasrallah 

BEIRUT - Lebanon's anti-Syrian ruling majority urged Arab ministers on Friday meeting in Cairo over the weekend to put pressure on Syria to end its interference in Lebanon and facilitate the election of a new president.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of the Syrian-backed incumbent Emile Lahoud ended on Nov. 23. The majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition have been unable to agree on a deal to elect a successor, though both sides have backed army chief General Michel Suleiman to fill the post.

"March 14 forces appeal to the Arab League to put pressure to lift the hand of the Syrian regime off Lebanon and help it elect a consensus president as soon as possible," the majority coalition, or March 14, said in a statement, reiterating its backing for Suleiman.
Advertisement
Arab League foreign ministers will meet in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the crisis in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Saudi Arabia and Egypt back the ruling majority and the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

March 14 said Lebanon was facing a coup against the authorities and its political system by forces loyal to Syria and Iran.

Hezbollah, backed by Damascus and Tehran, said this week it would allow the election of a president only if the majority agree to giving the opposition veto power in the new government.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah also said the opposition would decide on its next move next week, hinting at civic action.

March 14 statement said the opposition was threatening strife and measures that would harm stability.

France and Syria ended this week two months of contacts over ways to end the Lebanese crisis, with Paris saying Damascus was not showing it was working for a consensus solution.

Syria responded by saying it was seeking such a solution but accused March 14 leader Saad al-Hariri and Saudi Arabia of foiling the French effort.

The Lebanese parliament is set to try for a 12th time to confirm Suleiman as president on Jan. 12 but looks unlikely to succeed as there is little sign of reconciliation between the rival sides. Electing a president requires a two-thirds quorum that neither camps hold.

Body of Palestinian militant found in refugee camp
Residents of a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon found the body of an Islamic militant Friday who had been tortured and killed, local Palestinian officials and doctors said.

The body of Saleh Azmi Abdullah, 28, was found in a vegetable market in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp near the city of Sidon, said Maher Shabayta, a local official with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement.

Shabayta identified Abdullah as a member of the militant Jund al-Sham group, which follows the extremist ideology of al-Qaida and has clashed with Fatah members and Lebanese troops based around the camp.

The body was taken to al-Nidaa hospital, where medical officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press, said Abdullah was subjected to electric shocks before he was strangled.

Jund al-Sham has been blamed or claimed responsibility for a number of bombings and gunbattles in Lebanon and Syria. Syrian officials have portrayed it as the most active militant group in their country.

Related articles:
  • Syria suspends ties with France over Lebanon crisis
  • Top Lebanese army general, four others killed in blast near Beirut
  • Sneh: Israel not aware of Hezbollah claims to hold soldiers' remains
  • UNIFIL steps up supervision to deter Hezbollah re-armament
    • PROMOTION: Mamilla Hotel
    Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Hezbollah heads divided
    Militants slam civilian leaders amid fears of IDF attack.
    Israel-Iran war?
    Israel must prepare for the chance that if it strikes Iran, not all of the pilots will return.
      1.   Lebanon Pain 19:39  |  American Lebanese 04/01/08
      2.   Meddling in Lebanon, Arab League Bolts.! 20:03  |  Stephen. 04/01/08
      3.   from another Lebanese American 20:39  |  Ali 04/01/08
      4.   # 3 Ali of Boston....no they did not 21:15  |  Lynn 04/01/08
      5.   Ruling majority sold Lebanon out 21:41  |  Natallie Durson 04/01/08
      6.   #5more of the world according to nutullie 22:10  |  victor hardman 04/01/08
      7.   LEBANON SOLUTION 22:40  |  Arik Silverman 04/01/08
      8.   Israel needs to help Lebanon 23:01  |  Lebanese 04/01/08
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Eldan Rent a Car
    Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
    Award-Winning 'Obsession'
    Watch 'Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West' Online FOR FREE!
    Protea Hills
    A Retirement Village in Nature Nestled in the Foothills of Jerusalem
    Date Local Jewish Singles
    Ready to meet your match? Join Jdate today!
    Junkyard
    Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
     Haaretz Hot Topics
    Iran elections
    Obama speech in Cairo
    The Pope in the Holy Land
    Durban II conference
    Israel vs. Hamas
    More Headlines
    10:45 Government to ask court for more time to evacuate settlement outposts
    11:37 Iran gov't earmarks $20 million to support militant groups
    09:53 Likudniks blast 'enemy of the Jews' Obama over settlement freeze
    09:59 Israel is lying to itself about 'united Jerusalem'
    11:01 Excuses to let Gilad Shalit die just don't hold up
    11:05 Senate report: U.S. decided to let bin Laden slip through their fingers
    09:34 Brazil Jews decry 'exclusion' from college entrance exam
    00:24 TV ROUND-UP: Israel: Peace talks may lead to settlement evacuation; Grant's first Portsmouth match
    10:41 Iran warns it will cut cooperation with IAEA on nuclear program
    09:54 Thanks to Arab boycott, Dubai meltdown skips over Israelis
    09:45 Thousands of Palestinians may lose jobs in Dubai crash
    08:23 How a simple internet search led to Demjanjuk indictment
    05:51 Saudis go high-tech to protect hajj pilgrims from swine flu
    Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Site rules |
    | Advert: Recommended Restaurants | Makom: Engaging on Israel
    | Search engine marketing
    Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
    © Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved