Lebanon's government quits as anti-Syria protests swell

In an unexpected move Monday in front of the country's parliament, Prime Minister Omar Karami gave his resignation, effectively terminating the rule of the current Syrian-backed government.

The announcement was aired live on television and was greeted with jubilation from tens of thousands of Lebanese protesters who gathered just a few hundred yards from the parliament building.

"The government didn't fall now. It fell Monday when you all gathered here. You are the ones who are going to make Lebanon independent," Akram Shehayeb, an opposition member of parliament, told the throng of flag-waving protesters.

The resignation was the most dramatic moment yet in the series of protests and political maneuvers since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Some 25,000 protesters gathered in the city center Monday in defiance of a government ban on demonstrations, the latest rally against Syrian dominance following the assassination of Mr. Hariri.

The demonstration came as the Lebanese parliament debated over who was responsible for the assassination of Hariri, who died in a bomb blast two weeks ago. Many Lebanese accuse Syria of murdering Hariri because of his alliance with the Lebanese groups that oppose their dominance here.

Although the resignation is a victory for Lebanese opposition groups, it does not spell the end of Syrian dominance over their tiny neighbor.

"The battle is long, and this is the first step, this is the battle for freedom, sovereignty and independence," said opposition lawmaker Ghattas Khouri.

Hariri's flower-bedecked grave beside the Al-Amine mosque in Martyrs' Square has become the focal point for the protests with hundreds of mourners maintaining a constant vigil. "We will stay here until there is freedom," says Elie Absi, a demonstrator.

Opposition groups have tapped into the public outrage at Hariri's murder to launch a peaceful campaign to undermine Syria's grip on Lebanon and force it to withdraw its estimated 14,000 troops. Demonstrators are taking their cue from other recent demonstrations in other parts of the world, such as the rallies in Ukraine last November that arose from a rigged election for prime minister. The "Orange Revolution" there resulted in a new election and the eventual victory of a Western-leaning candidate.

Just as Ukrainian students formed a tent city in Kiev and adopted the orange of the opposition's campaign, on a grassy knoll surrounding the Martyrs' Monument, 100 yards from Hariri's grave, some 150 young Lebanese have erected tents and vowed to remain until Syria withdraws its troops. Protesters are wearing thousands of red and white scarves, the colors of Lebanon's flag, which have become the motif of their campaign.

"The Syrians cannot ignore all the people coming out here every day," says Rene Klat during Monday's rally. "This will definitely make the Syrians leave. We don't need or want weapons to achieve our independence."

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