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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| Feb. 14 Rally: A Show of Force Ahead of June Elections | |
| 2009-02-15 | |
Others had stickers reading "We won't forget you" on their shoulders. Giant screens showed pictures of the slain leader and a choir sang patriotic and Arab national songs. The crowds fell silent around 1:00 p.m. to mark the time when Hariri was killed. The silence was interrupted only by the sound of church bells and the call for prayers from mosques in a show of Christian-Muslim unity. The slain leader was buried at al-Amin mosque that oversees Martyrs' Square, popularly renamed Freedom Square after Hariri's death. Endless bus convoys poured into the capital coming from all around Lebanon to take part in the commemorative event. Entrances to the square were clogged with a sea of marchers. The rally took place as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also came as the country prepares for legislative elections in June. Politicians of the March 14 alliance dedicated their speeches to Hariri and other figures killed in a series of blasts. The March 14 officials also promised victory in the June 7 elections and vowed "not to kneel." "We move forward with the Lebanese towards the 7th of June -- Our date with free choice," Saad Hariri addressed the crowd from behind bullet-proof glass. "Parliamentary elections are fateful because they provide an opportunity to build a free state," he said. "Today we stand at the threshold of the international tribunal," Hariri told the cheering crowd. "The hour of truth and justice has come and your voice will overcome that of the oppressors and we will know the truth." Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel said the elections will mark a "choice between our camp which wants freedom, sovereignty and independence and the other camp which wants a return to hegemony and foreign tutelage." "We promise victory in the upcoming legislative elections," Gemayel told the rally. "We shall never kneel," vowed Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. "We shall achieve that last scene of the March 14 dream." At Saturday's rally, there was also hope that Hariri's killers could eventually be brought to trial, as the international tribunal prepares to begin its work in The Netherlands on March 1. In his speech, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat vowed there will be "no compromise on the international tribunal." Mustaqbal MP Bassem Sabaa and National Liberal Party leader Dory Chamoun also addressed the crowds. "Our hopes are pinned on you to continue the march. All martyrs are looking up to you Â… June 7 is coming up so don't put Cedars' martyrs down," Chamoun said. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |