Anti-Syrian sentiment grows at Gemayel funeral
Thursday, 23 Nov 2006 16:24
Lebanese politician Pierre Gemayel was killed earlier this week
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The funeral of assassinated Lebanese politician Pierre Gemayel has taken place in Beirut.
In overtly politicised scenes reflecting the present instability within Lebanese society, the people of Beirut congregated outside the St George cathedral in the centre of the city as the funeral of their former industry minister took place.
Massed crowds in the Martyrs' Square outside the cathedral waved Lebanese flags as Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the leader of the Christian Maronite affiliation of which the Gemayel family are among the leading members in Lebanon, led the service inside.
A number of senior political leaders attended the funeral, including the late Mr Gemayel's father, former president Amin Gemayel, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and Saad Hariri, son of the assassinated former prime minister, Rafik Hariri.
After the service had taken place a number of prominent leaders addressed the crowds from behind a bulletproof screen.
"National unity is stronger than their arms... and their terrorism," Mr Hariri said.
Meanwhile Mr Jumblatt, referring to the Lebanese cabinet's decision to allow the UN to aid in an investigatory tribunal into last year's killing of prime minister Rafik Hariri, said: "They will not nail down our determination to keep the arms in the hands of the state, and our demands for the truth, justice and the international court."
The anti-Syrian mentality dominating the crowd's emotions reflected a wider resentment of Syria's perceived intervention in Lebanese affairs.
The assassinations of six prominently anti-Syrian politicians in the last two years, of which Mr Gemayel's is the most recent, is straining relations between the two countries and risking political breakdown in Lebanon itself.
Lebanon remains divided between those supporting the militant group Hizbullah, supplied by Syria and responsible for this summer's conflict with Israel, and the mainly Christian groupings supporting the fledgling government of current prime minister Fouad Siniora.