Last modification: 06/06/08
 -  civil war - elections - Hezbollah - Lebanon - Syria - terrorism
 
A way out of the crisis?
200710_lebanon_streets_m.jpg
General Michel Sleiman was elected as Lebanon's president by the country's parliament on May 25. The election had been delayed 19 times since November 2007 and is one of the first steps towards peace in this violence marked nation.
Lebanese lawmakers have elected Michel Sleiman as president of their deeply divided nation in a critical first step towards ending a crippling 18-month political crisis. Lebanon had been without a leader since the pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud stepped down at the end of his mandate on November 24, 2007. Dissensions between the Western-backed government coalition and the pro-Syrian opposition led by the Shia Hezbollah party caused the presidential election to be delayed several times. Several Lebanese politicians have been assassinated since 2005, adding to the climate of instability. The majority accuses neighbouring Syria to be behind the attacks. The political crisis turned violent in May. Fights erupted between rival factions in Beirut, bringing back memories of the 1975-1990 civil war. Civil war had seemed imminent, with Hezbollah battling government partisans to seize parts of Beirut. The election should revitalize state institutions, which had crumbled as Lebanon plunged into violence. Under Lebanon's complex power-sharing system, the president is always a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament a Shi'ite Muslim.

 


 

 

  • LEBANON - ELECTION
    Sleiman elected Lebanon’s new president
    After 19 postponements in six months, Lebanese lawmakers elected Gen. Michel Sleiman as president, ending a deadlock which has left the post vacant since November. (Report: N. RUSHWORTH)
  • LEBANON - DOHA TALKS
    Lebanon leaders clinch a deal to end crisis
    At dawn on the sixth day of the Doha talks, Lebanese officials and opposition reached an agreement to end the political crisis and elect General Michel Sleiman as president on Sunday.
  • LEBANON - UNREST
    Shia militias take over west Beirut districts
    Hezbollah-led militias have taken over parts of west Beirut after routing militants loyal to the pro-Western majority. As the death toll reaches 16, opposition forces threaten to paralyse the Lebanese capital until the political crisis is resolved.
  • FRANCE 24 REPORTERS
    Arms race in Lebanon
    Since President Emile Lahoud stepped down in Nov. 2007, tension in Lebanon has been at boiling point. Weapon prices have quadrupled in the last year, suggesting that opposing factions are arming themselves. (Report: J-M. Quemener)

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  • LEBANON - HEZBOLLAH
    Nasrallah slams government's 'declaration of war'
    Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned that a Lebanese government crackdown on his group was tantamount to a "declaration of war," after the government launched a probe into a Hezbollah communication network.
  • THE FRANCE 24 DEBATE
    Lebanon deal: who won?
    At dawn on the sixth day of the Doha talks, Lebanese leaders have finally reached an agreement to end recent factional fighting and political stalemate. What are the merits and faults of this breakthrough agreement ?
  • Opposition begins dismantling Beirut protest camp
  • Rival Lebanon leaders clinch deal to end crisis
  • LEBANON - CRISIS TALKS
    Lebanon talks stall as Qatar proposal rejected
    Crisis talks in Doha between Lebanon's quarreling rivals suffered a setback on Monday when the Hezbollah-led opposition rejected a proposal by Qatari mediators. Lucie Fielders reports.
  • LEBANON CRISIS
    Lebanon cabinet cancels anti-Hezbollah measures
    Lebanon's pro-Western cabinet cancelled two measures it took against Hezbollah, which triggered the worst internal fighting in the country since the 1975-90 civil war. (Story: P. Hall)
  • LEBANON - CRISIS
    Arab League mediators arrive in Beirut
    An Arab League delegation attempts to find a solution to Lebanon's current crisis as US President George Bush accused Iran of using Hezbollah to destabilise the country. Lucie Fielder reports from Beirut.
  • WEB NEWS
    Michel Sleiman, consensus president
    The Doha accords put an end to Lebanon's institutional crisis by electing Michel Sleiman, a president acceptable to both majority and opposition. On the web Lebanese express relief after months of tension between communities.
  • LEBANON - UNREST
    Intense fighting erupts southeast of Beirut
    Heavy machine-gun fire and loud explosions were heard southeast of Beirut as Druze supporters of the government and pro-Hezbollah militants fought each other despite a return to calm in the Lebanese capital.
  • LEBANON - BEIRUT CLASHES
    Hezbollah ends west Beirut takeover
    After four days of deadly fighting, the Hezbollah-led opposition has started withdrawing its gunmen from parts of west Beirut following the army's move to overturn contentious government decisions against the Shia militant group.
  • LEBANON - HEZBOLLAH
    Hezbollah takes over West Beirut
    Tension was high in Lebanon on Saturday after Hezbollah-led militias took over parts of west Beirut. At least 16 people have been killed in three days of fierce fighting between the Shia opposition fighters and pro-government forces.
  • LEBANON - UNREST
    Shia militias take over west Beirut districts
    Hezbollah-led militias have taken over parts of west Beirut after routing militants loyal to the pro-Western majority. As the death toll reaches 16, opposition forces threaten to paralyse the Lebanese capital until the political crisis is resolved.
  • LEBANON
    Beirut airport closes as Hezbollah supporters keep up pressure
    A new show of force by supporters of the opposition has forced authorities to shut down Beirut airport. The opposition says it will stage protests until the government cancels anti-Hezbollah measures taken earlier in the week.
  • LEBANON
    Labour strike turns violent in Lebanon
    In the worst internal crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, supporters of pro-Iranian Hezbollah exchanged fire with gunmen loyal to the pro-Western government during a general strike over low wages that has paralyzed Beirut.
  • LEBANON
    Beirut challenge to Hezbollah telecom network
    The Lebanese government has called Hezbollah’s telecommunications network, which included spy cameras in Beirut’s airport, "an attack on the sovereignty of the state." (Report: M. MacCarthy)
  • LEBANON
    Lebanon's presidential vote postponed again
    Lebanon's political deadlock continues after the Parliament speaker postponed the presidential vote for the 18th time since November 2007. The speaker said a new date would be set after rival factions agree to dialogue. F24's Sarah Khouri reports.
  • SYRIA - ARAB SUMMIT
    Summit ends with no consensus on Lebanon
    The Arab League summit in Damascus closed Sunday with a declaration to help Lebanon emerge from its current political crisis, but without any specific proposals on how to achieve it.
  • FILM - LEBANON
    Lebanon lifts Persepolis ban
    Lebanon's general security department lifted a ban Thursday on the award-winning animated film "Persepolis" only one day after imposing the ban, following an outcry that the government was bowing to Iranian interests.
  • CINEMA - LEBANON
    Lebanon bans prize-winning 'Persepolis'
    "Persepolis", the French-Iranian cartoon which won the jury prize at Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar, has been banned from Lebanese cinemas. No reason was given by the authorities.
  • WEB NEWS
    Frustration over Lebanon vote delay
    As Lebanon's presidential election was postponed for a 16th time, impatient web users attributed the crisis to a problem of identity, rather than a political deadlock, with many Lebanese identifying themselves by religion before nationality.
  • LEBANON - UNITED STATES
    Hezbollah lambasts US 'interference' in Lebanon
    The pro-Syrian Hezbollah on Friday slammed Washington's dispatch of the USS Cole to waters off Lebanon as military interference. French authorities have backed the US move.
  • LEBANON
    Hezbollah declares 'open war' on Israel
    Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned of an "open war" with Israel at the funeral of a senior Hezbollah figure on Thursday as thousands of Lebanese marked the third anniversary of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's death.
  • SYRIA - HEZBOLLAH
    Hezbollah 'King of Terror' killed in Syria
    Imad Moughniyah, killed by a car bomb in the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday, was a top commander in the Hezbollah Shiite militia. He was high on Israel's hitlist, though officials deny involvement in his violent death.
  • LEBANON
    Hezbollah leader killed in Syria blast
    Imad Moughniyah, a top Hezbollah commander, was killed in a blast in Syria on Tuesday, the group announced. Moughniyah has been accused of involvement in numerous attacks and kidnappings from the 1980s on.
  • ISRAEL - LEBANON
    Winograd report: Lebanon war "serious" failure
    A report into Israel's 2006 war against Lebanon's Hezbollah militia cited "grave failings" at political and military level, but acknowledged that PM Olmert had acted on an "honest assessment" of Israel's interests.

Video

Diapos

  • An overview of Lebanon’s main political forces
    An overview of Lebanon’s main political forces

Photos

  • The parliament building in Beirut. Lebanese policemen secure the parliament building in Beirut as deputies arrive to attend a session to elect a new president, 23 November 2007.

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