Calm returns to Lebanon after deadly protests

BEIRUT – Calm returned to Lebanon as roads were cleared and Beirut airport reopened Wednesday as the opposition called off a general strike that sparked deadly street fights ahead of a donor conference in Paris.

Traffic was fluid after tractors and garbage cleaners worked through the night to clear tyres, sand and rubble from streets blocked by the opposition in a show of force Tuesday aimed at ousting the Western-backed government. Many shops also reopened, although some businesses opted to wait until noon before raising their iron-curtains to make sure the situation had returned to normal.The state-run Lebanese University and many school remained shut across the country.Tuesday’s strike turned violent as opposition militants burned tyres, blocked roads and fought street battles with pro-government supporters that left three people dead and 133 others wounded.The violent protests paralysed Lebanon for a day and added to concerns over the stability of a country still bearing the scars of the 1975-1990 civil war and last summer’s massive Israeli war against the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah.”The catastrophe has descended, and all have lost,” said the liberal Al-Anwar daily, which said the opposition had gone too far in its action and the government could no longer ignore their demands.”Lebanon contains discord …and its past wars filled the streets,” said the leftist As-Safir, which said the violence brought back the specter of the civil war battles between militias divided along confessional lines.Prime Minister Fuad Siniora took an early flight to Paris to attend Thursday’s aid conference for Lebanon which is still reeling from the economic impact of last summer’s war and a public debt of 41 billion dollars.Siniora travelled from Beirut international airport after it resumed normal activities after a near-total disruption by opposition militants who blocked access to the area by burning tyres and dumping sand and rubble.About 34 flights to and from Beirut airport, the country’s only international airport, were cancelled on Tuesday and about 400 passengers who had been stranded there for a day returned home.Late Tuesday, the pro-Syrian opposition said it has “decided to suspend the strike which served as a warning to the illegitimate government”.But it warned of “more effective” measures if the cabinet continued to reject their demands.The anti-Syrian camp, meanwhile, held a meeting in which it warned of counter-protests if the opposition resumed its forced closure of the country.Siniora himself warned that government forces will not accept attempts to disrupt public order and blamed Iran and Syria for the nationwide strike led by Hezbollah, which is backed by the two regional allies.Nampa-AFPMany shops also reopened, although some businesses opted to wait until noon before raising their iron-curtains to make sure the situation had returned to normal.The state-run Lebanese University and many school remained shut across the country.Tuesday’s strike turned violent as opposition militants burned tyres, blocked roads and fought street battles with pro-government supporters that left three people dead and 133 others wounded.The violent protests paralysed Lebanon for a day and added to concerns over the stability of a country still bearing the scars of the 1975-1990 civil war and last summer’s massive Israeli war against the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah.”The catastrophe has descended, and all have lost,” said the liberal Al-Anwar daily, which said the opposition had gone too far in its action and the government could no longer ignore their demands.”Lebanon contains discord …and its past wars filled the streets,” said the leftist As-Safir, which said the violence brought back the specter of the civil war battles between militias divided along confessional lines.Prime Minister Fuad Siniora took an early flight to Paris to attend Thursday’s aid conference for Lebanon which is still reeling from the economic impact of last summer’s war and a public debt of 41 billion dollars.Siniora travelled from Beirut international airport after it resumed normal activities after a near-total disruption by opposition militants who blocked access to the area by burning tyres and dumping sand and rubble.About 34 flights to and from Beirut airport, the country’s only international airport, were cancelled on Tuesday and about 400 passengers who had been stranded there for a day returned home.Late Tuesday, the pro-Syrian opposition said it has “decided to suspend the strike which served as a warning to the illegitimate government”.But it warned of “more effective” measures if the cabinet continued to reject their demands.The anti-Syrian camp, meanwhile, held a meeting in which it warned of counter-protests if the opposition resumed its forced closure of the country.Siniora himself warned that government forces will not accept attempts to disrupt public order and blamed Iran and Syria for the nationwide strike led by Hezbollah, which is backed by the two regional allies.Nampa-AFP