Lebanon general says army under pressure
Source: Reuters
By Tom Perry BEIRUT, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Lebanon's army commander called for efforts to end a political crisis which this week triggered violence and said his forces, which are trying to keep the peace, were under pressure, a newspaper reported on Saturday. General Michel Suleiman told As-Safir newspaper the clashes, which killed seven and wounded close to 400, should be "an opportunity for all to revive the discourse of reason and calm". "True the army is suffering from pressure. That does not prevent it from performing its duty,", Suleiman said. "The army has been bearing above its load for months and is ready to bear more on condition that officials and civilians also bear their responsibilities in preventing security disturbances." The clashes this week between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims loyal to rival factions and Christians whose leaders are also split were Lebanon's worst since its 1975-1990 civil war. In that conflict, Lebanon's army split along sectarian lines. The war started as a conflict between Christians and Muslims and drew in Palestinians, Israel and Syria. Around 150,000 people were killed. The army imposed a curfew on Thursday night to restore order after a day of clashes in and around a Beirut university. Suleiman in December urged the army to stay neutral in the standoff between the government, which is backed by Lebanon's strongest Sunni leader, and the opposition including Shi'ite groups Hezbollah and Amal. Christian leaders including Michel Aoun back the opposition while others such as Samir Geagea support the government. Amal leader, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, met Saudi ambassador Abdulaziz Khojah, whose government supports the Beirut cabinet. Speaking after the meeting, Berri said he was "more optimistic". Khojah also said he was optimistic. Suleiman warned against sectarian divisions in the country. "There must be a political desire to search for a political solution to the crisis," he said. "Everyone should build one building on one land." "WORSE THAN IN '75" The opposition is demanding veto power in the government and early parliamentary elections to change what they call an illegitimate cabinet. The government and its allies accuse the opposition of trying to mount a coup. Mourners at the funeral on Saturday of a student killed in clashes pledged support to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Automatic weapons were fired into the air as the body of Mohammed Ghazi, killed on Thursday in Beirut, was carried in a procession in the Sunni village of Marj. "We say to Prime Minister Siniora ... the martyr Mohammed is with you and will remain with you," said Nadir al-Naqib, head of the youth wing of the Future movement -- an organisation led by Sunni leader Saad al-Hariri. Sheikh Sobhi Tufaili, Hezbollah's first secretary general, said Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the group's leader, was implementing Iranian policies in Lebanon, echoing an accusation made by pro-government politicians. "Does the demand for a change in government deserve all this strife?" Tufaili, an opponent of Nasrallah, said in a statement broadcast on the Hariri-owned Future television station. "The situation in Lebanon is in its worst state. Much worse, very much worse than in '75," he said. "God forbid, if we can't put out the fire ... its blaze will have a greater effect."
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