<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/20/world/middleeast/20lebanon.html> November 20, 2006 Hezbollah's Leader Calls for Street Protests By NADA BAKRI and MICHAEL SLACKMAN
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 19 — Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, pressed his case for bringing down Lebanon's government in a message broadcast Sunday, once again calling for peaceful demonstrations to topple what he described as an "illegitimate and unconstitutional" government controlled by Washington.
Sheik Nasrallah used his televised appearance to try to win political support by playing to the deep resentment many Lebanese harbor against the United States for having refused to press for an early end to Israel's war with Hezbollah. Sheik Nasrallah sought to characterize his goals in purely domestic terms, insisting that Hezbollah was not doing the bidding of Iran or Syria — as his opponents have charged.
In a taped speech broadcast on Al Manar television station run by Hezbollah, Sheik Nasrallah called on his supporters to be "psychologically" ready to protest for days, weeks or however long it would take to force the government to step down. But he also offered a prescription to avoid the protests.
"There are two solutions to resolve the crisis: either the formation of a government of national unity in which all political movements take part, or early parliamentary elections," he said to an audience of followers on the taped message. "Come and let us form a national unity government. Nobody is raising arms. Nobody is making a coup or popular revolution."
He also insisted that Hezbollah was not advocating violence or a power grab, adding, "Civil war is a red line. Clashes are a red line."
While Sheik Nasrallah has won widespread credibility for doing what he promises to do, it appeared he was mindful of the risks involved in taking to the streets and was looking to build so much pressure on the government that such a move would not become necessary.
The struggle for power in Lebanon took a new turn after the war with Israel ended in August, and Hezbollah emerged emboldened by its ability to survive the Israeli attack and bloody Israeli forces. Hezbollah, a militant Islamic organization with a powerful political and aid operation, has pressed its case for changing the makeup of the government to include more of its allies, including the party of Gen. Michel Aoun, a Christian.
But the governing March 14th coalition, a group of Sunni, Druse and Christian leaders that is allied with the West, has vowed not to give Hezbollah as much as it is asking for because that would put veto power for all government actions in the Hezbollah coalition's hands. Members of the governing coalition have said that would paralyze the government and give Syria and Iran undue influence in Lebanese affairs.
Though the conflict is a domestic battle for power, it also has an international component that could influence the future far beyond Lebanon's own borders. The governing coalition is allied with the United States and France, while Hezbollah is a close ally of Syria and Iran. Throughout the conflict, each side has accused the other of being a puppet of foreign interests, while denying such accusations against itself. The White House recently issued a statement charging that Syria, Iran and Hezbollah were planning to bring down the government together.
Sheik Nasrallah addressed those charges directly, using his speech to insist that his goal was unity, not the empowerment of Hezbollah, Syria or Iran. The governing coalition has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of wanting to block the creation of an international tribunal to hear evidence in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Sheik Nasrallah denied that was the case.
He also indicated that no matter what happened, even if security forces attacked the demonstrators, his militia would not be goaded into fighting a domestic battle.
"When we take to the streets we hope that they don't mobilize their forces in front of ours," he said. "If they insult us we will tell them, 'God forgive you.' If they beat us we will tell them, 'God forgive you.' "
His speech was punctuated by chants from the crowd: "Labbeik ya Nasrallah" or "We follow you, O Nasrallah."
A member of Parliament for the March 14th coalition, Akram Chehayeb, dismissed Sheik Nasrallah's statements as nothing more than propaganda, saying his was "a decision to fulfill Iran's wishes."
He showed no sign that the coalition would back down to the demands of Hezbollah and its alliance. He also said there would be counterdemonstrations, illustrating just how entrenched the sides are.
"The government will not prevent them from practicing their democratic right if their protests remain peaceful, but if they attack public or private property, the security forces will have to interfere to protect the country," Mr. Chehayeb said. "We will defend the government of independence and we will prevent any coup from toppling it."
The Druse leader, Walid Jumblatt, took a position exactly opposite of Sheik Nasrallah's. "The opposition groups are on the verge of announcing a coup in the country," Mr. Jumblatt said Sunday at a televised news conference. "They will start with gradual street protests, then mass demonstrations, then riots and resignation from Parliament. We are until this moment still calling for a compromise."
Nada Bakri reported from Beirut, and Michael Slackman from Cairo. -- Yoshie <http://montages.blogspot.com/> <http://mrzine.org> <http://monthlyreview.org/>