Anti-government protests entered their fourth day yesterday after a crowd of 100,000 demonstrated within earshot of the government offices in Beirut, urging the ouster of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and his anti-Syrian government.
The Lebanese army deployed more soldiers in Beirut after the killing of a pro-Syrian Shiite Muslim demonstrator raised fears anti-government protests could turn into sectarian violence.
Security sources said the military increased its forces in the Sunni districts that Shiite protesters drive through to get to central Beirut where the Hezbollah-led opposition is holding a sit-in to topple the Western-backed government.
These districts witnessed several clashes between residents and protesters on Sunday -- from stone-throwing incidents to fights with sticks and knives.
In the most serious incident, gunmen fired from assault rifles at a group of protesters in the Sunni Qasqas neighborhood, a stronghold for the anti-Syrian majority coalition, killing one young man and wounding others.
The clash took place on the outskirts of the central Beirut rally, which has been peaceful.
The opposition said the incidents would not drive it to abandon plans for toppling the government.
The Shiite group Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, and its allies in the opposition had taken to the streets and were holding an indefinite sit-in to force Siniora's resignation.
Many politicians and observers warned the crisis could spill over into sectarian strife in a country that has gone through two civil wars in the last century.
Thousands of protesters spent a third night in a newly built tent city in central Beirut outside the main government complex where Siniora was spending his days and nights.
Many banks and businesses were again closed yesterday in the downtown area, Lebanon's banking and commercial center. Business owners in the area have said that lengthy closures could devastate several businesses and force employers to cut jobs.
The opposition, which includes some Christians, has been demanding effective veto power in the government, which has a majority comprising anti-Syrian politicians from Christian, Sunni and Druze parties.
But these politicians say the opposition only wants to weaken the government and derail a UN tribunal that would try suspects in last year's murder of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
A preliminary UN inquiry has implicated Syrian and Lebanese security officials in the killing, which led to Syrian forces being forced to withdraw from Lebanon last year.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa met Lebanese leaders in Beirut, including Hezbollah officials, to try to find a compromise, political sources said.
Moussa expressed concern at the situation and said Arab countries could not afford to be bystanders in a crisis that developed after Hezbollah's summer war with Israel.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Syria yesterday on a brief visit to urge President Bashir al-Assad to play an active role in helping stabilize the Middle East.
Speaking from inside government headquarters where Siniora and a number of ministers have been holed up for days, Druze chief and anti-Syrian MP Walid Jumblatt reiterated the government's call for fresh talks.
RSS