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Article: The standoff continues; the anti-Syrian block in Lebanon has renewed its attempts to oust President Lahoud, but the populist general is determined to keep his grip on power.(Emile Lahoud)
- Article from:
- MEED Middle East Economic Digest
- Article date:
- March 3, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 MEED Middle East Economic Digest. All Rights Reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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It's tough at the top. Ensconced in the Baabda palace in Beirut, Lebanese President Lahoud faces growing calls for his resignation. Nothing new, perhaps--a similar clamour was heard back in September 2004 when Damascus successfully engineered a parliamentary vote granting the pro-Syrian Lahoud a three-year extension to his term. But this time the president finds himself isolated, and the voices outside the gate are getting louder.
The latest showdown came on 14 February when hundreds of thousands of anti-Syrian demonstrators flooded Martyrs' Square in Beirut to commemorate the assassination a year ago of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. Tensions are running ...