In the wake of the mass demonstration by Hezbollah,
The Lebanese opposition is now calling for a counter-demonstration to the pro-Syrian rally, to show they, too, can muster up numbers.
They are asking their supporters to show up en-masse at Martyr's Square next Monday, March 14 -- which will also mark a month since Hariri's assassination.
This will be a showdown for Syria and its supporters. Will they try to interfere with the demonstrations or not? The role of Hezbollah is crucial. So far, New Kerala notes,
Hezbollah showed its political maturity in both the timing of their demonstrations and in the message they relayed. The banners carried by Hezbollah supporters "thanked Syria," but did not ask them to stay. And the flags they waved were all Lebanese, not the party banner.
There is a degree of ambivalence here. As I noted in an earlier post many on the scene observers feel that Hezbollah was not demonstrating for continued Syrian presence, but rather as a show of their own power. If so, they will not interfere with Monday's demonstrations. If, however, they are indeed pro-Syria as many in the press fear, Monday may very well see a clash between the Shiites and the opposition groups. That would be a tragedy for everyone.
Read the whole thing here.
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