Beirut, raising fears that Lebanon would return to civil war, officials said. The explosion, which happened shortly after midnight local time was the first attack since the February 14 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and came ahead of an upcoming anniversary of the start of the devastating 15-year civil war in April 1975.
In a statement released by the Arabic news channel Aljazeera, Lebanon’s pro-Syrian President Emile Lahud said he invited the country’s anti-Syrian opposition and loyalist politicians to begin immediate talks about the escalating tension.
"Lahud calls on the sides … to live up to their historic responsibilities to protect the higher interests of Lebanon at this sensitive stage by opening an immediate and direct dialogue to lay out all the outstanding problems and reach a consensus in the interest of Lebanon," Aljazeera quoted a statement from Lahud’s office as saying.
"The president affirms the need for such a dialogue meeting starting today [Saturday] in any place they agree on, including the presidential palace, which will keep its doors open."
EXTENSIVE DAMAGE
Eyewitnesses said the blast caused extensive damage in the northern Beirut residential neighborhood of Jdeide, along a coastal road, damaging several buildings and destroying cars parked in the street where the explosion took place.
"The explosion of the Japanese Datsun-make car left eight people slightly injured," a police spokesman told the French News Agency AFP.
Some witnesses said the car attempted to stop in front of a bingo saloon, but security guards asked its driver to move along. The driver then parked the car a short way down the road, news reports said.
A Police official quoted by Aljazeera said the car belonged to an Armenian living in the building in front of which the explosion took place. "The explosive was placed under his vehicle," a police spokesman said. "An inquiry has been opened by the police who went immediately to the scene," he added.
CHRISTIAN SETBACK
It came as a setback for Lebanon’s Christian community, which hoped the recently announced removal of thousands of Syrian troops and security agents from Lebanon would speed up reconciliation between members of the primarily Christian Southern Lebanese Army (SLA) and other groups. Many SLA fighters reportedly fled to Israel in 2000, when the SLA supporting Israeli army withdrew from southern Lebanon, despite the presence of Syrian forces in the country.
"As soon as the Syrians leave, and I don’t think it will be more than two months, I will be going back," Joseph Hanoun, a bodyguard of late senior SLA commander Akel Hashem, told The Jerusalem Post newspaper recently.
Christian legislator Pierre al-Gumayil called Saturday’s bomb blast "an act of terror" that could be an attempt to destabilize the country, Aljazeera reported.
NEW TERROR
"This has been the message to the Lebanese people for a while – to sow fear and terror among Lebanese citizens," al-Gumayil told the network. The message is "if there is a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, look what Lebanon will face," said al-Gumayil, a member of the Christian opposition bloc in parliament and the son of former President Amin al-Gumayil.
Earlier Baptist leaders in Lebanon were praying that "things won’t deteriorate into a civil war," Christian broadcaster Mission Network News (MNN) reported. "Christians have a strategic role in the region, and Baptist World Alliance is urging Christians to pray that the Lebanese people will recognize the need for reconciliation and peace," MNN said.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, meanwhile, reportedly said that despite the latest violence he expects a complete withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon before legislative elections are held in May, amid fears of political turmoil.
Up to one million demonstrators poured into central Beirut Monday, March 14, in a rejection of Syria’s role in Lebanon, hurling a potent challenge at the pro-Syrian Lebanese administration. Syria completed the first phase of its withdrawal in Lebanon this week redeploying all its remaining soldiers and military intelligence officers to the eastern Bekaa Valley. Of the 14,000 troops that were in Lebanon last month, at least 4,000 soldiers are believed to have returned to Syria.
(With BosNewsLife News Center, reports from Lebanon, United Nations, BosNewsLife Research)
