Thousands Of Lebanese Students In Anti-US March
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By-Nadim Ladki
Courtesy of: Reuters
17 January 2006
http://alertnet.org

Beirut--About 10,000 Lebanese students, chanting "America Out," marched to the US embassy near Beirut on Tuesday to protest Washington's policy in Lebanon.

The protest, called by pro-Syrian parties including Shi'ite Muslim Hizbollah, came three days after clashes between police and a much smaller anti-US demonstration in downtown Beirut.

But there was no sign of trouble as protesters, waving Lebanese flags, defied winter weather to march to the US embassy complex in Awkar village north of the capital.

Hundreds of police blocked roads leading to the embassy and stopped the crowds from reaching the complex itself.

"America stay away from Lebanon so that the Civil War does not return," the crowd chanted.

"Beirut is free, America out."

The protest coincided with a worsening political crisis that has paralysed the government and split it between pro-and anti-Syrian factions.

Embassy Denies "Fabrications:"
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The US embassy in Beirut issued a statement denying a front-page report in the local
as-Safir newspaper that quoted Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman urging the government to sack Shi'ite Ministers, who include two from Hizbollah.

"By inventing such a story, as-Safir clearly hopes to provoke increased tensions in Lebanon," the embassy said.

"In addition, because of the dangers that some people will mistakenly believe such stories and act upon them, the embassy must consider these fabrications to be a direct threat against Ambassador Feltman's safety," it said.

The protesters carried a large picture of Feltman written under it: "Recipe for War."

"We reject guardianship. Everything that happens in Lebanon now happens under American guardianship after we had Syrian guardianship," Ahmad Taleb, 22, said.

The United States supports a coalition of anti-Syrian groups in Parliament and government and urges the disarming of Hizbollah.

The Financial Times reported that Saudi Arabia has presented Lebanon and Syria with a plan to defuse tensions between Syria and Lebanon.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told the FT in an interview that the kingdom had made proposals for an agreement, but was waiting for a response from Beirut and Damascus, and details would have to be worked out.

(additional reporting by Laila Bassam)