Demonstrations to receive Powell in Beirut and then in Damascus; Lahoud rejects security guarantees
Lebanon-USA, Politics, 4/15/2002

The US secretary of state Collin Powel will arrive in Beirut today and will leave for Damascus in the same day in two "sudden" visits, the Israeli sources say these two visits are in coordination with the government of Tel Aviv, while American official references said that the aim of this visit was to direct a sort of warning to Lebanon and Syria. Students and political organizations called for receiving Powell by demonstrations and sit ins.

Lebanese official sources said that Powell will meet with the Lebanese President Emil Lahoud in the presence of the foreign minister Mahmoud Hamoud at 10 a.m.. Powell's will be accompanied by the US under secretary of state William Burns, the spokesman for the foreign ministry Richard Boucher and the advisor for Powell, Greg Kelly, the security advisor Admiral Water Douran and the US charge de affairs in Beirut Carol Kallin.

The Lebanese sources explained that Powell's visit aims at getting acquainted with Lebanon's view point concerning developments in the region and in south Lebanon, following the official position expressed by the Lebanese President in which he said that Lebanon cannot ensure security guarantees for Israel, unless being in the framework of just and comprehensive peace because the Israeli withdrawal is a partial solution for the problem and the major important part will stay pending, in remarks to the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

The sources said that President Lahoud is persistent to consider the grave escalation of conditions in the region will have its consequences on the Lebanese arena and that whenever Israel commits an aggression against the Palestinian people, this will be reflected on the Lebanese arena, a situation which makes it imperative to view the problem of the region not only from the angle of developments in occupied Palestine, rather for the perspective of the problem as a whole, especially the need to seek a just peace which only can ensure guarantees and rights for all conflicting sides.

Lahoud will also stress to the American President the unwavering Lebanese position concerning the crisis in the region and the situation in south Lebanon and will urge him to revive the ME peace process according to international legitimacy resolutions. Lahoud will also concentrate on the importance of halting the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian so as to halt the escalation of conditions in the region, including south Lebanon.

On the other hand, the Lebanese and Palestinian students and youths organizations have called for a general strike today ( Monday) in Beirut, in denunciation to the American "brutal stand and being the partner of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, a rejection to the visit held by Powell to the capital of resistance and victory, Beirut," according to a statement issued on Sunday evening.

The statement called on all Lebanese students and teachers and all sectors of the civil society to gather before the faculty of engineering at the Lebanese university near the airport bridge on 8.30 a.m. today to start the march of rejection towards the Beirut's International airport.

Meantime, the national parties and Islamic commissions in the north called to "express by all means and forms denunciation of this visit." The "democratic forum" also called for taking part in the campaign of protest against the American policy.

Previous Stories:
  Powell conveys a warning to halt Hizbullah attacks   (4/10/2002)
  Lahoud gets a message from Powell on conditions in south Lebanon   (4/8/2002)
  Lahoud denounced the US bias position   (4/2/2002)

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