BEIRUT, Aug 8, 01 (CWNews.com) - Lebanese soldiers on Tuesday arrested about 250 Christian leaders of an anti-Syrian faction in the country in what security officials said was an attempt to forestall a planned massive protest against the continuing political and military influence by Syria over Lebanon.
Many of those arrested were released on Wednesday while others were held for trial. The arrests came after the Lebanese army warned against exploiting "the climate of freedom to carry out acts of disorder and incite discord and hatred."
The arrests caused renewed outrage and criticism over Syria's continuing influence over its neighbor that began when it intervened in the country's 1975-90 civil war. Maronite Catholic Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, one of the most vocal critics of Syria, called for calm, but then said that "oppression never solved problems." He added, "We want to live in our country without fear, heads high, hand in hand, heart to heart, Muslims and Christians."
The army began targeting certain protesters for arrest after demonstrations during Patriarch Sfeir's tour of the Druze-controlled Chouf mountains where hundreds of Christians and Druze were massacred during the civil war. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a major Syrian ally during the war, also voiced criticism of the arrests and called for calm. He urged the government to fire security officials responsible for the crackdown.
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
8. august 2001