01 June 2011

BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berris criticism of the Cedar Revolution drew condemnation Tuesday from March 14 officials, who described the 2005 uprising as the cornerstone of a democratic Lebanon free from foreign intervention.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the Cedar Revolution dealt a blow to the March 8 alliance, undermining the position of Berri and his allies. It [might] have set Berri and his allies back 60 years, but it gave 60 years of democracy and freedom to the Lebanese, he said.

Another pillar in the March 14 alliance, the Future Movement, said Berris remarks were an attempt to divert attention from the March 8 coalitions failure to form a government four months after Hezbollah and its allies toppled Prime Minister Saad Hariris Cabinet.

These are clear and unsuccessful attempts to divert attention away from the real problem, which is the failure to form a government. It is also an attempt to detonate smoke bombs to prevent people from seeing the crisis in the ranks of that same coalition [March 8], a statement by the Future Movement parliamentary bloc said.

Berri said Monday that the Cedar Revolution had weakened the country significantly, accusing the March 14 alliance of corruption and surrendering to foreign influence.

The Cedar Revolution took Lebanon back 60 years legally on the democratic level. [It] exhausted public funds, increased public debt and provided an atmosphere for further foreign interference in [Lebanons] present and future, Berri said.

Berris remarks drew sarcasm from Kataeb (Phalange) party leader Amin Gemayel, who said he hoped that Lebanon would be taken back 60 years to a time when state institutions made decisions rather than foreign powers.

At that time, there was an organized political life and mutual respect. At least decisions were taken in constitutional institutions rather than in Anjar or beyond the borders, Gemayel said in reference to Anjar in the Bekaa, where the Syrian armys former headquarters were located until the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Feb. 14, 2005 culminated in a massive rally on March 14 of the same year that was dubbed the Cedar Revolution and led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops in April 2005 after a 29-year presence.

The March 14 coalition was named after that rally, which saw hundreds of thousands of Lebanese flock to Downtown Beirut to demand the withdrawal of Syrian troops after Damascus was accused of the assassination.

Gemayel said his party was proud of the Cedar Revolutions accomplishments, urging political leaders to overcome divisive positions that hinder the countrys developments.

I hope that we can find a solution to unite the Lebanese, away from the logic of March 8 and 14, in a bid to serve Lebanons higher interests, achieve full national sovereignty and meet the ambitions of the Lebanese youth, Gemayel told reporters following a meeting with Berri at his residence in Ain el-Tineh.

Meanwhile, Future Movement MP Ahmad Fatfat described the Cedar Revolution as the spark that fueled Arab popular uprisings and movements promoting democracy in the Middle East.

The Cedar Revolution was the beacon of democracy in the Arab world and it influenced many Arab popular revolutions by convincing the people that the possibility of change exists, Fatfat said in reference to popular uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria.

After the popular uprisings success in ousting autocratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, Libyan rebels continue to battle with leader Moammar Gadhafis troops, while unrest mounts in Syria.

Copyright The Daily Star 2011.