RIYADH/JEDDAH, 1 March 2005 — Lebanese living in Saudi Arabia by and large welcomed the fall of the Beirut government and said pro-Syrian Prime Minister Omar Karami should have resigned on his own rather than being forced out.
They also said that with the Karami government gone, it should be easier for UN investigators to ferret out the truth behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Describing it as a step in the right direction, Muhammed Habanjar, head of the maintenance department at Saudi Oger, said: “The country needs a change. At the same time, we cannot forget the contribution of Rafik Hariri in the development of Lebanon. We hope that the incoming government will be one that represents all the people and also have good relations with our neighbors, especially Syria and the Arab world.”
Habanjar said the new government should work for the unity of the country, since many had rallied around the opposition following the assassination of Hariri. It should also seek to have “better and proper” relations with Syria in the spirit of good neighborliness and interdependence.
Joseph Banawi, also of Saudi Oger, said it was a welcome development and means that “the Lebanese people are starting to regain their freedom. We are also looking for answers. We must know who killed Hariri.”
Describing it as “good riddance”, Karim Assad, general manager of Publicis Graphics, said the Lebanese people have welcomed the fall of the pro-Syrian government.
“I received many phone calls. Everyone is happy. Now I am very optimistic about the future of our country as we have turned a page in the history of Lebanon. At the same time, the late Hariri deserves a monument to honor his memory, since he did a lot in rebuilding Lebanon and uniting its people, “ he added.
Lebanese expats in Jeddah termed Karami’s resignation as the “end of the Syrian rule.”
“The resignation should have come soon after Hariri’s assassination,” Ahmed Karanouh, a media executive, said.
Nayeem Zain, a waiter in a restaurant, said: “I’m so glad. It’s about time that the corrupt government stepped down. Rafik Hariri is Lebanon and Lebanon is Rafik Hariri for all of us. I wish a proper investigation is conducted to find out who killed the greatest leader of Lebanon.”
Muhammad Kamal, a Lebanese advertising executive, said: “At last we hit back at Syria. We knew this was a government controlled by the Syrians.”
— With input from Saad Al-Matrafi, Javid Hassan and K.S. Ramkumar
