BEIRUT, 28 February 2005 — Lebanese Interior Minister Suleiman Franjiyeh yesterday banned all public demonstrations amid plans by opposition and pro-Syrian parties to hold rival rallies today. “All security forces are asked to take all necessary measures to protect security and order and to ban demonstrations and gatherings on Monday,” Franjiyeh said in a statement. The ban is “due to the current circumstances” and “in the supreme national interest”, Franjiyeh said.
A joint statement by opposition groups called on supporters to defy the ban and stage a sit-down protest in Beirut. “We call on all our people to stage a peaceful, democratic sit-in at Martyr Square,” said the statement, which called for a “credible investigation” into the Feb. 14 death of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
The Lebanese Army and security forces yesterday sealed off all entrances leading to the square, which is close to Hariri’s grave. All restaurants and cafes on the plaza have been told to remain closed until this evening. Pro-Syrian groups were to stage a counterdemonstration today to denounce the “the criticism against Syria” and its presence in Lebanon.
That criticism continued yesterday, with Jordan’s King Abdallah urging Damascus to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 which calls for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Lebanon. “Jordan is keen on ensuring the implementation of international legitimacy resolutions pertaining to the region,” said an official statement released after talks in Amman between the king and visiting Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Al-Utri.
That call was echoed Sunday by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield. Satterfield, who is due to meet Lebanese officials today, said the United States had “confidence in the institutions of the Lebanese state, including the army”, if Syria withdrew from Lebanon.
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara, however, said yesterday in Egypt that there was “no consensus” in Lebanon on the implementation of Resolution 1559. Shara reaffirmed Damascus’ commitment to the 1989 Taif agreement, which calls for the gradual withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. “There is no unified Lebanese consensus over Resolution 1559, which is rejected by the absolute majority (of Lebanese). However, there is total agreement in Lebanon over the Taif agreement,” Shara said. Shara argued that implementing the Taif agreement was “an indirect implementation” of Resolution 1559.
Syria also roundly rejected Israeli accusations that it had a hand in a Tel Aviv bombing. Shara said that Syria was seeking Arab support to face down what he described as unprecedented US-led pressure on regional governments. He said the mastermind of Friday night’s blast which killed four Israelis and wounded 53 people, was more likely to be found in Israel than in Syria.
“The Israeli charge is false and not based on any evidence,” he said. “I do not rule out — on the basis of political analysis, not of evidence in my possession — that Israeli fingers were behind the latest operation ... (aimed at) undermining Palestinian national unity.”
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz accused Syria after evidence emerged linking the bombing to the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad which has leaders based in Damascus. “We have proof directly linking Syria to this attack,” Mofaz was quoted as saying.
