Posted on 04/10/2005 3:00:17 PM PDT by winner3000
BEIRUT, Lebanon - There were people in wheelchairs, fathers pushing strollers, young men in T-shirts and designer sunglasses, all in all at least 20,000 Lebanese took part in a run Sunday to demonstrate unity after two months of political turmoil.
AP Photo
Under a warm spring sun, the runners set off from Beirut's Riad Solh Square on three-mile course that passed near the seafront boulevard where former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 19 others were killed in a massive bomb attack on Feb. 14.
They finished at Martyrs' Square, the scene of a demonstration that brought down the government and numerous other protests during the past seven weeks.
Hariri's sister, lawmaker Bahiya Hariri, released 50 white pigeons to start Sunday's event, which was dubbed "United We Run."
"There is no fear for this country as long as this great people are adamant on upholding their national unity, civil peace, independence, freedom and sovereignty," Hariri said in a speech before the start.
The run is part of a series of activities that will mark the 30th anniversary of the beginning of Lebanon's 15-year civil war on April 13, 1975. There will be concerts and exhibitions of art and photography.
Most of the participants wore white for peace. Some wore T-shirts bearing Hariri's picture. Other runners carried Lebanese flags.
Loudspeakers encouraged the runners with patriotic music and the national anthem, and soldiers stopped all traffic from entering the route of the run.
Hussein Majid, who completed the course in a wheelchair, said: "I came to show loyalty to Lebanon and for the sake of unity among the Lebanese."
The organizers, Beirut Marathon Association, said about 50,000 people took part, but The Associated Press estimated the crowd to be about 20,000.
The association said the run was "aimed at strengthening national unity, preserving civil peace, (and) highlighting Lebanon's cultural and civilized face."
Are they randomly dodging left and right, like everybody ELSE who runs through Beirut?
Thousands Jam Beirut to Revive City
Sat Apr 9, 6:24 PM ET Middle East - AP
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/lebanon
By HUSSEIN DAKROUB, Associated Press Writer
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Thousands of people jammed downtown Beirut on Saturday, jamming restaurants and sidewalks in answer to a call to stop mourning and revive a city buffeted by nearly two months of political and economic turmoil.
Beirut's once-bustling sidewalk cafes and shops have been empty for weeks, and city's main square has been dominated by mourners visiting the nearby grave of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed Feb. 14 in a bombing of his motorcade.
Following his death, tens of thousands of pro- and anti-Syrian protesters held rival demonstrations, and a heavy army and police presence dominated the city.
Bahiya Hariri, the slain leader's sister, has launched a campaign to revive the downtown district. The campaign began Friday and is timed to continue through Wednesday, the anniversary of the beginning of a 15-year civil war three decades ago.
"The message to all is: Lebanon will stay alive, just like Rafik Hariri wanted it," she said.
Some people in the downtown crowd, including parents with their children, carried Lebanese flags. Others opted for balloons. A few shouted "Abu Baha," a reference to the late Hariri, a billionaire real estate tycoon credited with rebuilding Lebanon from civil war destruction.
Strolling with a friend, 24-year-old Ivy Farhat said she hoped the effort "would restore the hope to Lebanon and the Lebanese that was buried with Hariri's killing."
Some people stopped to look at a photograph of a smiling Hariri that was placed on a chair at a sidewalk cafe on the square facing the parliament building. Hariri had coffee at the cafe less than five minutes before the explosion that killed him.
Restaurants were urged to give discounts as a way to attract customers scared off by the tensions and several recent bombings — mainly targeting Christians — in different parts of Lebanon.
The activities came amid a relaxation of the political pressure. The Syrian army continued withdrawing as demanded by the Lebanese opposition, the United Nations and the United States. About 60 Syrian tanks and 25 trucks crossed the border Saturday. An international investigation into Hariri's assassination was agreed upon last week by the U.N. Security Council, and efforts to break political deadlock to form a government appear to be making some headway.
Pro-Syrian Prime Minister Omar Karami on Saturday promised to form a Cabinet this week, a move that could clear the way for parliamentary elections to be held before the legislature's mandate ends May 31.
Hariri's assassination plunged Lebanon into its worst political crisis since the end of the 1975-90 civil war and brought the economy to a standstill. The opposition has blamed Syria and its Lebanese government allies for the assassination, which sparked anti-Syrian protests and forced Syria to withdraw its army. Beirut and Damascus have denied any role in Hariri's killing.
Syria has dominated Lebanon since sending troops in 1976 during the civil war.
The opposition has accused Karami and the pro-Syrian leadership of maneuvering to delay the vote. It fears the pro-Syrian majority in parliament will extend the current legislature's life for months.
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