BLAST IN BEIRUT CHRISTIAN NEIGHBORHOOD

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A car bomb rocked a predominantly Christian neighborhood in northern Beirut (search) early Saturday, destroying part of a building and wounding at least seven people, police said.

The explosive left a seven-foot-deep crater in the roadway and shattered windows for several blocks in the New Jdeideh (search) neighborhood.

The target of the attack wasn't immediately clear but it came amid political turmoil in Lebanon in the wake of the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (search), and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian troops to east Lebanon and Syria.

Red Cross members and security forces inspect the damage of a bomb blast site in east Beirut March 19,2005. A car bomb exploded in a mainly Christian eastern suburb of Lebanon's capital early on Saturday, wounding six people. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

Car Bomb Explodes in Lebanese Capital, Six Wounded

By Lin Noueihed BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded in a Christian suburb of eastern Beirut on Saturday, wounding at least six people and raising fresh fears of a return to Lebanon's violent past.

The blast devastated the ground and first floors of an apartment block, blowing out balconies, shattering windows in surrounding buildings and wrecking dozens of vehicles, a Reuters correspondent at the scene said.

The vehicle containing the bomb exploded after midnight in an adjacent car park, gouging out a crater.

"I was standing under this building and we heard a huge explosion and there was a big cloud of dust, and glass flew everywhere. We saw this car just fly into the air and land on the street right in front of us," said witness Rany Ayoub.

It was unclear whether the attack was politically motivated, but residents gathering at the scene -- clearly shocked and some still dressed in their pajamas -- blamed Syria. They were nervous, however, about being quoted by name.

Lebanon has been rocked by political turmoil since Feb. 14 when former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was killed in a car bombing, which many Lebanese blame on Syria. Damascus denies the charge, but the assassination has prompted mass public protests against Syria's military and political influence in Lebanon.

Faced with mounting international pressure, particularly from President Bush, Syria has begun pulling its troops out of its tiny neighbor after a three decade presence and its intervention in a 1975-1990 civil war.

A security source said a nearby bingo hall may have been the target of the bombing. The bingo hall was not damaged apart from broken windows.

TROOPS SEAL OFF AREA

Soldiers and other security forces sealed off the area. At least six people were taken to hospital, medical sources said.

"I was asleep. My wife was praying when we heard the blast. There are no doors in my house now. No windows. All our stuff was turned upside down," said Tannous Jibril, an elderly man who lived on the first floor of the apartment block.

"My cousin lives in the same building. He has four daughters who were asleep, but they were not hurt thank God."

The building's ground floor, which residents say housed small clothing stores, had a gaping hole criss-crossed with twisted metal. The blast smashed the wall of a first floor office, exposing desks and cabinets inside.

Many analysts and politicians warn strains are evident in the precarious political, religious and communal balance achieved since Lebanon's civil war. They say political tensions could spill into violence.

Leading United Nations envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, who has been involved in negotiations with Lebanon and Syria, said on Friday he was worried another leading Lebanese figure could be killed unless there was a cooling off period in the country.

Maronite Christians, about one-fifth of the population and long Syria's most vocal opponents, have dominated the past few weeks' protests demanding the withdrawal of Syrian troops.

Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun said on Friday he hoped to end 14 years of exile and return to Lebanon within weeks, as soon as the Syrians had completed their withdrawal.

Syria finished the first phase of its pullout on Thursday.

A Lebanese security source said 4,000 to 6,000 Syrian troops had returned home since the pullout plan was announced on March 5, leaving 8,000 to 10,000 in eastern Lebanon.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan expects Syria to fully withdraw its forces before Lebanese elections due in May.

Washington has also demanded the disarmament of Shi'ite Muslim Hizbollah guerrillas. But Hizbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, has vowed to keep its guns to fight Israel rather than confine itself to politics as U.S. officials want.

Deepening Lebanon's political crisis, key opposition leader Walid Jumblatt has said he and his allies will not join a government as long as pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud remains in office.

That stance could wreck a bid to forge a unity government by pro-Syrian Prime Minister Omar Karami, who resigned on Feb. 28 under opposition pressure but was reappointed last week.

Lebanese investigators walk inside a building wrecked by car bomb in the New Jdeideh neighborhood, in the northern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, early Saturday, March 19, 2005. A car bomb wrecked the front of a building in the northern suburbs of the Lebanese capital early Saturday, wounding seven people, police said. The explosion came amid major political turmoil in Lebanon in the wake of the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian troops to east Lebanon and Syria. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A Lebanese policeman runs across the site after a car bomb exploded, wounding six people and destroyed the first floor of an apartment block in Beirut, early March 19, 2005. The car bomb exploded in a mainly Christian eastern suburb of Lebanon's capital early Saturday. Lebanon has been rocked by political turmoil since February 14 when former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was killed in a car- bomb attack, for which Lebanese many held Damascus responsible. Syria denies the charge. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

A Lebanese soldier speaks to an unidentified man looking for his relatives who lived in a building wrecked by car bomb in the New Jdeideh neighborhood, in the northern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, early Saturday March 19, 2005. A car bomb wrecked the front of a building in the northern suburbs of the Lebanese capital early Saturday, wounding seven people, police said. The explosion came amid major political turmoil in Lebanon in the wake of the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian troops to east Lebanon and Syria.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Lebanese soldiers block the way near a destroyed car damaged by a bomb in the New Jdeideh neighborhood, in the northern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, early Saturday March 19, 2005. A car bomb wrecked the front of the building, wounding seven people, police said. The explosion came amid major political turmoil in Lebanon in the wake of the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian troops to east Lebanon and Syria. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

From the AP:

*****************************

Today: March 19, 2005 at 8:51:46 PST

Blast Injures 9 in Beirut Christian Area

By JOSEPH PANOSSIAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -

0318lebanon-blast Investigators searched the rubble of a car-bombed building in Beirut for clues to an attack Saturday that boosted fears of renewed bloodshed in Lebanon and complicated already troubled negotiations between rival political groups over the formation of a new government.

The attack wounded nine people and came amid the withdrawal of Syrian troops to eastern Lebanon and Syria after a 29-year presence in this former civil war-ravaged country. The redeployments followed intense international and local opposition to Syria's role in Lebanon since the Feb. 14 assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri in a massive bombing that killed 17 others.

In light of the crisis, President Emile Lahoud said he will not attend Monday's Arab summit in Algeria and the army announced stricter measures against any security violators. "The army will not allow that freedom of expression be abused in order to harm security and stability," the statement by the military said.

The motive behind the bomb attack wasn't immediately clear, but it devastated an eight-story apartment building in the largely Christian New Jdeideh neighborhood shortly after midnight and sent panicked residents in their pyjamas into the street.

It also played to concerns among some Lebanese that pro-Syrian elements might resort to violence to show, in their view, the need for a continued presence by Damascus forces. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have taken part in demonstrations for and against Syria since Hariri was killed. The anti-Syrian protests have featured large numbers of Maronite Christians.

"This has been the message to the Lebanese people for a while - to sow fear and terror among Lebanese citizens," Christian opposition member Pierre Gemayel told Al-Jazeera satellite television. The message is "if there is a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, look what Lebanon will face."

Police closed all entrances leading to the blast site and blocked onlookers from nearing the devastated building. After sunrise, residents began clearing debris and inspecting their damaged shops and homes.

Security officials said on condition of anonymity the blast was caused by a time-bomb placed underneath a car belonging to a Lebanese-Armenian resident of the damaged building. It was unclear where the car owner was or why the bomb was placed under his vehicle.

Lahoud didn't mention the attack but said in a statement that Lebanon was experiencing "exceptional circumstances" that required "immediate and direct dialogue" between opposition and pro-government groups.

He said Lebanon's various political factions must "shoulder their historic responsibilities in protecting the higher interests of Lebanon at this critical stage."

"The doors of the presidential palace will be open at any time to host such a meeting starting today," he said.

Opposition legislator Fares Soeid dismissed the president's invitation. "It's too late. This subject is closed," he said in a televised interview.

Political demands from factions for and against Syria have bogged down efforts to form a new government, raising concerns the deadlock could threaten upcoming elections and even Syria's final withdrawal.

Pro-Damascus premier-designate Omar Karami has insisted on a "national unity" government, but the opposition is refusing to join unless its demands are met. The opposition wants a neutral Cabinet to arrange for elections, the resignation of security chiefs and an international investigation into Hariri's death.

Some opposition members accuse Karami of stalling to kill chances of holding an election they believe the pro-Syrian camp will lose. Walid Jumblatt, an opposition leader, said parliamentary polls should be held as planned for April and May.

"Why postpone the parliamentary elections? Let them hold the elections according to the electoral law they deem suitable, but we will not participate in the government," he told Future Television.

Saturday's explosion blew off the fronts of some structures, left a seven-foot-deep crater, damaged parked cars and shops and shattered windows for several blocks.

"We were sleeping when it happened," said a white-haired man, wearing blue pajamas, who declined to be identified. "We don't know what and why. No one important lives here."

The intensity of the political battle over Syria's troops has raised fears of a return to the sectarian violence of the 1975-90 civil war. So far, however, the political camps do not conform to religious boundaries, with Christians and Muslims on both sides of the debate.

On Thursday, Syria completed the first phase of its withdrawal in Lebanon, redeploying all its remaining soldiers and military intelligence officers to the eastern Bekaa Valley. Of the 14,000 troops that were in Lebanon last month, at least 4,000 soldiers have returned to Syria.

At the United Nations, Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir said that Syria had given assurances it would withdraw its troops before the country's elections, as U.N. and American officials want.

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