Lebanon's crisis seems to worsen

Lebanon’s deepening political crisis worsened today, with ministers in the anti-Syrian government fearing for their lives after an assassination of one of their own, businesses on strike and all sides ignoring calls for a negotiated resolution.

Beirut was tense after several hundred supporters of the pro-Syrian Hezbollah briefly took to the streets the night before, burning tyres and blocking the road to the airport before Hezbollah’s leader ordered them home.

But the government was moving ahead with an issue that was likely to further anger Hezbollah.

The Cabinet was due to meet tomorrow to give its final approval to a UN-created international court to try suspects in the February 2005 killing of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

The political stand-off in Lebanon pits Syria’s opponents – mostly Christians and Sunni Muslims – against Damascus’ allies – mostly Shiite Muslims, led by the powerful Hezbollah guerrilla group.

Anti-Syrians dominate the government and parliament, but Hezbollah is threatening to bring down the government with a wave of mass protests unless it and its allies are given more power.

Tuesday’s assassination of industry minister Pierre Gemayel, an anti-Syrian Christian leader, reignited anger at Damascus, which dominated Lebanon for nearly three decades but was forced to withdraw it troops last year over accusations it was behind the killing of Hariri.

Damascus has denied any role in the slayings of Hariri, Gemayel or four other anti-Syrian politicians the past two years.

An estimated 800,000 government supporters – a fifth of the popultion - turned out for his funeral yesterday, turning it into a political rally against Syria.

“Even at the height of the civil war, Lebanon has never witnessed this level of polarisation among its sects, this kind of political mobilisation and the crisis at such a dead end,” wrote Sateh Noureddine, managing editor of the daily As-Safir.

Fearing a meltdown if the political stand-off continues, business leaders called a two-day strike today to urge the rival leaders to “take national decisions … engage in dialogue and stop making threats of street protests.”

Factories, banks and financial institutions closed today. Though many small shops remained open, many schools kept their doors closed and traffic was thinner than normal on Beirut’s usually bustling streets.

Underlining the atmosphere of fear following Gemayel’s assassination, some Cabinet ministers have moved to the massive downtown Prime Ministry to live and work there.

Cabinet Minister Ahmed Fatfat, speaking on Lebanese Broadcasting Corp television, did not say how many of the ministers have taken up residence in the stone-walled, brick-roofed building in downtown Beirut.

Efforts to break the deadlock – and even the outpouring of grief over the slaying of the young Christian politician – have so far failed to soften the entrenched positions. Arab heavyweights Egypt and Saudi Arabia have mediated in recent days, apparently to no avail.

Hezbollah ignored a call by Prime Minister Fuad Hariri last night for it to resume dialogue and for six pro-Hezbollah members who quit his Cabinet earlier this month to return to their posts. The six quit in protest just before the Cabinet gave its initial approval of the international tribunal.

Saniora’s call for a Cabinet session tomorrow further stokes the tension. That meeting is to approve a UN protocol that will create the court. Several Syrian officials are due to be put on trial, and the court’s creation is sharply opposed by Hezbollah.

Talal Saheli, one of the Shiite ministers who resigned, said the Cabinet session planned for tomorrow was unconstitutional, according to the official National News Agency.

Pro-government groups have warned that more government ministers may be targeted for assassination to deny the Cabinet the legal two-thirds quorum of 16 needed to approve the court. The Cabinet now has 17 members following the Shiites’ withdrawal and Gemayel’s death.

Many Lebanese had hoped the vicious murder of the rising politician would bring the leaders together and help resolve the crisis. But by the time Gemayel was buried yesterday and as his family continues to receive condolences at its mountain hometown of Bikfaya, north-east of Beirut, the positions hardened and the tension began to spill into the street.

Last night, several hundred Hezbollah supporters blocked a road leading to the international airport and burned tyres in the streets of some Beirut neighbourhoods, increasing tension with their Sunni residents.

Army troops quickly intervened and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah ordered the militant group’s members to leave the streets “immediately and instantly".

Political analyst Nabil Bou Monsef, speaking on LBC TV today, said the latest events served as “a great red alert” to the country. “Tensions are flashing red.”