Lebanon army deploys but clashes rage on
Updated: 2008-05-12 15:01
Pro-Western Arab governments led by Egypt put forward a draft resolution implicitly condemning Hezbollah for the violence but it met with opposition from some delegations, delegates said.
The draft called for the "rejection of the use of armed violence to achieve political goals outside the framework of constitutional legitimacy, and the need for a withdrawal of all weapons from the streets," according to a text obtained by AFP.
The latest violence was sparked by a government crackdown on a telephone network run by Hezbollah and the sacking of the airport security chief over his alleged links to the militant group.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said the measures amounted to a declaration of war, with ensuing clashes leading to the opposition taking over large swathes of west Beirut.
The opposition pulled back its militants from Beirut after the army reversed the government's decisions and deployed in the affected areas.
Many Lebanese, including cabinet ministers, observed a minute of silence on Sunday for the victims of the violence, heeding a call by the embattled premier who described Hezbollah's power grab as an armed coup.
Syrian official daily Al-Baath said on Sunday that Hezbollah had foiled a US-planned coup to seize control of Lebanon.
"The Americans launched a pre-emptive strike against opposition nationalist forces, starting with the (Hezbollah) resistance, and attempted a Washington-planned coup but were taken aback by the opposition, which restored order in Lebanon," it said.
The White House welcomed the lessening of violence in Beirut but warned that "our concerns regarding Hezbollah are unchanged."
Amid the tensions, foreigners continued to leave Lebanon by road to Syria, although the eastern border crossing of Masnaa was still blocked by pro-government supporters.
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