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Blair Pledges British Help in Rebuilding Lebanon | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Lebanese volunteers clean a Beirut beach to prevent an oil spill from reaching the shore (AFP)


Lebanese volunteers clean a Beirut beach to prevent an oil spill from reaching the shore (AFP)

Lebanese volunteers clean a Beirut beach to prevent an oil spill from reaching the shore (AFP)

BEIRUT (AFP) – Prime Minister Tony Blair has pledged help in rebuilding war-ravaged Lebanon during his first visit to Beirut but was confronted by angry protests over his stance on the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

“I hope that out of what has been a tragic and terrible time we can rebuild in a way that is not just lasting peace here in Lebanon but lasting peace in the region, but where we see Lebanon once again for what it is and can be, which is a model for the whole of this region of democracy, of liberty and of prosperity,” Blair said at a press conference with Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

He came under fire for Britain’s failure to back calls for a rapid ceasefire in the war that left more than 1,200 people dead in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and laid waste to much of the country’s infrastructure. More than 160 Israelis were also killed in fighting with Hezbollah guerrillas and rocket attacks.

The press conference was briefly disrupted by a protestor brandishing a banner saying: “Boycott Israeli apartheid,” who shouted: “This is an insult, shame on you, shame on you,” before she was escorted out of the room.

About 1,000 people also gathered to vent their anger at Blair during his six-hour high-security visit to Beirut, where police had blocked off a large section of the city center and prohibited parking on his motorcade route.

The visit came almost a month after a UN-brokered truce took effect on August 14, bringing a halt to a month of warfare between Israel and the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Both Blair, the highest-ranking Western leader to visit Beirut since the war, and Siniora said that solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the key to bringing stability to the region.

Siniora called for a “a comprehensive, just and lasting peace … to put an end to the injustice and suffering of our region.”

Blair, who also visited Israel and the Palestinian territories at the weekend despite turmoil at home that prompted him to announce he would stand down within 12 months, added: “I believe it can be done, and I commit myself for the remainder of my time in office to do everything I can to bring that about.”

Blair had told a joint news conference with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas that the international community would deal with a broad-based government if one replaced the existing Hamas-dominated administration which has been boycotted by the West since its formation six months ago.

Palestinian officials announced Monday that a government of national unity would be formed within 48 hours and Blair’s spokesman promptly gave it a guarded welcome.

“I think it’s a serious statement, potentially a hugely significant statement, but let events unfold,” he said.

Blair also met members of the cabinet and MPs but the talks were boycotted by Hezbollah’s two cabinet ministers and MPs from both Hezbollah and fellow Shiite party Amal.

On the eve of the visit, Lebanon’s top Shiite religious leader, Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, had called on Siniora’s government to declare Blair “persona non grata,” describing him as a “key accomplice” in Israel’s onslaught against Lebanon.

And the mood was hostile on the streets of Beirut, where crowds chanted: “The devil is America, and Blair is the devil’s dog.”

“Blair, the blood of Qana’s children is all over your ugly face,” was another chant, referring to Israel’s bombing of a building in which 29 people died, including 16 children.

As-Safir newspaper, which is close to the Shiite community, described the visit as a “political error” and even the pro-government An-Nahar said it “heightens tensions between the pro-Western parliamentary majority and Hezbollah.”

But Siniora, who took office last year at the head of a largely anti-Syrian government, defended his close ties to the West.

Blair said London had pledged more than 40 million pounds to the rebuilding of Lebanon and promised support for the country’s army, which remained on the sidelines during the conflict.

He said the army had a “crucial role” and promised help to ensure that it was in control of all of Lebanon, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that brought an end to the conflict.

“We will work with you in terms of training, in terms of equipment, in terms of any help that we can give and, as you know, I am committing further resources to that today,” Blair said.

French U.N. peacekeepers sit atop their armored personnel carrier in the southern town of Marjayoun, Lebanon (AP)

French U.N. peacekeepers sit atop their armored personnel carrier in the southern town of Marjayoun, Lebanon (AP)

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora escorts his British counterpart British Tony Blair  upon his arrival at Beirut airport (AFP)

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora escorts his British counterpart British Tony Blair upon his arrival at Beirut airport (AFP)

Youths hold a Lebanese flag at a beach in Tyre in southern Lebanon (R)

Youths hold a Lebanese flag at a beach in Tyre in southern Lebanon (R)