Saturday, March 19, 2005
Saturday 19 March 2005, 11:08 Makka Time, 8:08 GMT

A car bomb exploded on Saturday night in a predominantly Christian area of Beirut, wounding at least 8 people. The blast destroyed the front of the first and second floor of a building in the commercial area of New Jadida, on the northern edge of the Lebanese capital.
A seven-foot-deep crater reveals the exact point at which the car blew up.

Rani Ayub, an eye witness, told the press what he saw: "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."

As reported by Bassem Mroue (AP), Lebanese officials speaking on condition of anonimity said that the explosion was caused by a time-bomb placed in the car of a Lebanese-Armenian resident of the damaged building.

"The ... car belonged to an Armenian living in the building in front of which the explosion took place. The explosive was placed under his vehicle," said a police official.

Other witnesses said that the driver first tried to park his vehicle in front of a Bingo hall.
When some guards forced him to move forward he decided to stop a few meters away and the blast was heard shortly afterwards.

Abbas Nasir, Al-Jazeera’s correspondent in Beirut, said that according to Lebanese security officials, the bomb was placed exactly between a wall in the parking garage of the building and a resident’s car. Even if it isn’t clear whether the bomb was meant to kill someone in particular or not, the site seems not to have any significance beside the fact that an employee of the American Embassy lives in the building.

Debris covered the street nearby the accident and has damaged shops and cars.
Citizens were able to clean their properties only after the police and other security forces cordoned the area and finshed their work.

CNN commented that the bomb could be an attempt to split Muslims and Christians, as theorized by some eyewitnesses. Others have said there could be a connection between the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who resigned from his job last October to protest against the presence of Syrian troops in his country and was killed on February 14, along with 17 people. Anti-Syrian politicians blame Damascus for his death. Syrian authorities, however, always denied the accusation.

Immediately after the explosion, Lebanon’s President Emile Lahoud asked for a crisis meeting with all the politicians.

"[President] Lahoud calls on the sides... to live up to their historic responsibilities to protect the higher interests of Lebanon at this sensitive stage by opening an immediate and direct dialogue to lay out all the outstanding problems and reach a consensus in the interest of Lebanon," as read in the official statement.

"The president affirms the need for such a dialogue meeting starting today in any place they agree on, including the presidential palace, which will keep its doors open."

Fares Soeid rejected the invitation saying, "It's too late. This subject is closed."

Immediate political concerns are obviously on the formation of the new government. Some have said that the bomb could be taken as an example of how useful the presence of the Syrian troops by pro-Damascus politicians was, like Omar Karami, who insisted on the necessity of a “national unity” cabinet. The opposition is, instead, demanding for a neutral government, an investigation on Hariri’s death and the resignation of the security chiefs.

Karami was even accused of “stalling”in order to postpone the election scheduled for April-May, because as it is now, they probably favor the anti-Syrian coalition.

"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," an opposition leader, Walid Jumblatt, said to Future Television.

Pierre Gemayel, a Christian member of the opposition, said to al-Jazeera that "This has been the message to the Lebanese people for a while - to sow fear and terror among Lebanese citizens." The meaning of this advice is, "if there is a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, this is what Lebanon will face."

The blast occurred right after the first Syrian withdrawal of troops since they invaded the country 29 years ago, during the civil war that devastated Lebanon for over fifeteen years (1975-1990).
The first stage of the Syrian pullback from Lebanon began last Thursday when at least 4,000 soldiers crossed the border into the eastern Beeka Valley.

A potential political split happening between Maronite Chistians and Muslims in the country will certainly slow down the unification process along with the inner stability of a new cabinet.
Generally speaking, that would favor those who have been in control of Lebanon, taking advantage of the divided powers that still exist.

Further exact information about the bomber or the reason why he placed the bomb is still not available and agents are investigating to find out more details.



http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/44EB4799-838E-4278-AD8C-5A30B5D4013A.htm
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LEBANON_SYRIA?SITE=NDBIS&SECTION=HOME
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/19/lebanon.bombing/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4363325.stm

ALSO IN BLOGGERNEWS
Il Romanaccio at 2:03 PM