Tension high after Syria army kills four in Lebanon

[oberliner]

Source: Lebanon Daily Star

TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Lebanon’s president and prime minister urged Syria Sunday to stop shelling Lebanese territory after four Lebanese were killed by gunfire from the Syrian side of the border, in incidents that heightened tensions on the two neighbors’ frontier.

The renewal of deadly incidents on the Lebanese-Syrian border, which had claimed the lives of several Lebanese citizens last year, evoked fresh calls by the opposition March 14 parties for the deployment of the Lebanese Army and U.N. troops along the two countries’ common boundaries.

President Michel Sleiman voiced regret over the death of Lebanese citizens by Syrian shelling in the northern Wadi Khaled region and the village of Heesha near the border with Syria, while Prime Minister Najib Mikati asked Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour to protest to Syrian authorities over these incidents.

“(Sleiman) stressed the need to remain committed to the neutral stance (of Lebanon) which calls for not interfering in the affairs of other countries, particularly Syria,” according to a statement released by the president’s office.



Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-25/207785-tension-high-after-syria-army-kills-four-in-lebanon.ashx#axzz2LrweHPGh

[geek tragedy]

1. What a pathetic response by Sleiman et al. Just give Hezbollah the PM position and

end the farce.

So afraid of offending the sponsor of the real rulers of Lebanon that they can't even criticize the killing of their own people.

[Scootaloo]

2. Not every nation has the power the US enjoys

Lebanon is a weak nation by design. The government the French sculpted is constructed so that nobody in said government actually has power, and the system of religious quota it uses is such that any attempt at reforming the system will likely explode in another civil war - Lebanon hasn't even conducted a census since its independence because of this.

France created a puppet state, then took its hand away, basically.

You call it a "pathetic response," but the reality is, it's the only one that can be given from his position. Is he going to take arms against Syria? As you pointed out, Syria has a fifth column in Lebanon, but even without that, it'd be hopeless and just end up with renewed subjugation of Lebanon.

Being president of a weak nation does not sound like a fun job to me.

[geek tragedy]

3. Well, as I said if Hezbollah and Syria call the shots, why pretend otherwise? nt

[Scootaloo]

4. Same reason Finland didn't just join the USSR? n/t