Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud declares a state of emergency and orders the army to take over.

AP via CNN ^ | 11/23/07

[Abathar]

AP: Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud declares a state of emergency and orders the army to take over, hours before his terms ends. Breaking news, headline only.

[Uncle Hal]

This is not good. The middle east is really a tinder box.

[Abathar]

Just the headline for now on CNN, this isn’t good at all.

[SolidWood]

Israel and the Lebanese Army should get together to wipe out Hizbullah. The Christian, Druze and Sunni Lebanese will be the first to die when Hizbullah totally takes over.

[dinoparty]

Oh boy. What is the reason for this, other than holding onto power? Hamas?

(Forgive my ignorance.)

[dinoparty]

Oops, I meant Hezbollah.

[Abathar]

I don’t know, but with things the way they are with Iran and Hamas it doesn’t bode well, will give Hamas a perfect reason to try to take over control under the cover of preventing a dictatorship.

[Beckwith]

Is this guy from the same Lahoud family that Clint wiped out in “Behold a Pale Rider?”

[SolidWood]

Why? It could be good. Very good actually. Remember that the greatest danger to Lebanon (that is Christian, Sunni, Druze and secular Shia Lebanese) is Hezbullah and Syria. The Army taking over could be a push to thwart a Hezbullah power grab.

[Abathar]

Thanks, I parroted you to, Hezbolla, not hamas, although they will kick things up just to distract Israel for the hell of it.

[SolidWood]

Hamas? You mean Hezbullah.

[Abathar]

It also gives Hezbullah the perfect reason to grab power too, remember that the Lebanese army is rife with Hezzbullah sympathy and infiltration.

[jbwbubba]

Problem is that Hezbollah is for more efficient and battle ready than the Lebanon army. If a civil war starts, I’m afraid Hezbollah wins.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

["...hours before his terms ends."]

Looks like we have a new "President for Life". It's the new political fashion statement.

[rdl6989]

I do pray you are right.

[Abathar]

yeah, I get the two mixed up, I vote we destroy one to keep things simpler over there...

[American Quilter]

Poor Lebanon. I remember when Beirut was referred to as the Paris of the middle east.

[Abathar]

" Beirut - Lebanese President Emile Lahoud on Friday handed over the task of securing law and order in Lebanon to the country's army commander until a political consensus is reached and new president is elected. In a televised speech only few hours before he ends nine years in power, Lahoud declared "a state of emergency in the country and (that) the army should take over the security of country."

Lebanon's parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri postponed a vote on Friday that would have been the last chance to choose a president before pro-Syrian Lahoud left office at midnight.

Berri, who is also a Shiite opposition leader, delayed the election for a fifth time due to a deadlock between rival factions. He set a new session for November 30 "to allow for more consultations," he said in a statement.

The decision means Lebanon will be without a president for at least a week. Unless a consensus candidate emerges, many fear the dispute may lead to two competing administrations and violence in a country still scarred by its 1975-1990 civil war. "

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/146993.html

[UKrepublican]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7110202.stm