Anti-government protests enter fourth day in Lebanon
In Lebanon, large anti-government protests have entered their fourth day.
The protests began on Friday when hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah supporters and their Christian allies rallied in downtown Beirut. Since then thousands have camped out in tents in an effort to bring down the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
The standoff shows no sign of waning despite calls from the two sides for dialogue to resolve their differences. The Arab League secretary general has visited to try to help, as did Jordan’s foreign minister. Egypt’s Beirut envoy also has been making the rounds.
After several days of trading accusations in the media, rival Lebanese leaders opened direct channels. A Sunni scholar in the opposition went to the government headquarters to discuss ideas on resolving the crisis and the government gave him its own proposals, including the possible expansion of the current Cabinet to satisfy opposition demands, youth and sports minister Ahmed Fatfat told reporters.
Shiite leaders tried to put the lid on the boiling sectarian tension and prevent revenge attacks after the killing of 21-year-old Shiite protester Ahmed Mahmoud, who was shot while walking Sunday with other protesters through the Sunni neighborhood of Qasqas. Twenty one people were wounded in the violence.
democracynow
guardian
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