Lebanon protesters turn up heat

Thousands of opposition protesters waving Lebanese flags streamed into Beirut yesterday for the latest mass rally in the Hezbollah-led campaign to bring down the government.

But Prime Minister Fuad Siniora yesterday vowed his government would overcome the challenge posed by the protesters.

"Lebanon is a strong country. We will overcome this crisis," Siniora said from inside his government offices as thousands of demonstrators massed outside for a 10th straight day.

"Our political and democratic regime is facing a challenge," Siniora said.

Convoys of buses, many flying flags and bearing portraits of opposition leaders, ground to halt as they tried to take protesters into the gridlocked capital.

"Change is coming," read banners carried by demonstrators as loudspeakers blared out speeches by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who has vowed his supporters will not quit the streets until there is a new national unity cabinet.

As many as 20,000 troops maintained security on the streets and around the Grand Serail government building where Siniora has been holed up since the protest began on December 1.

In addition to red-and-white Lebanese flags, some demonstrators waved orange banners and photos of Christian former general Michel Aoun, as well as yellow Hezbollah flags and the green standards of the Shi'ite movement Amal.

As the deadlock deepened in a political crisis which many fear could plunge Lebanon back into civil strife, the opposition vowed to escalate its action and paralyze main roads, including the Beirut airport road, the liberal Al-Balad newspaper said.

Source: China Daily