Calm returns to Beirut, army still out in force

May 13, 2008, 12:16 GMT

Lebanese soldiers patrol a street in Beirut, Lebanon, 13 May 2008. The military had said that as of 6:00 am (03:00 GMT) its troops were ready to resort to force to bring an end to the violence pitting after almost a week of clashes between the Western-backed government and Hezbollah-led opposition. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Beirut - Normal life started to return to the capital Tuesday after the Lebanese army issued an ultimatum to militants carrying guns in the street to disarm or force would be used.

Hundreds of Lebanese army troops, backed by tanks, were in the streets since the early hours, to impose law and order, and to restore normality to the city and the surrounding areas.

Schools remained closed, but banks, supermarkets and businesses opened after six days of closure due to the violent clashes between members of the Syrian-Iranian backed opposition led by Hezbollah, and others loyal to the ruling majority, supported by the West and most Arab countries.

The clashes left at least 61 people killed and nearly 200 wounded across the country.

Traffic was normal as people felt safer to go to work as there was a heavy arm presence in the city.

'Today I felt safer to go to work,' said a bank clerk.

Supermarkets were full of people stocking up on food and essentials for fear that the situation might deteriorate in the coming days if the parties failed to reach an agreement.

Bakeries were also full and there were also queues outside petrol stations as people bought fuel for their cars and electricity generators.

The Lebanese army said it will use force if necessary from Tuesday to disarm gunmen and restore law and order.

'Following the events of recent days, namely in Beirut and in the mountains, army units have bolstered their deployment in zones of tension and are working to ensure security, re-establish order and ban all armed presence,' an army statement said.

'Army units will ban collective or individual irregularities in line with legal procedures, even if this means using force,' it said. 'This decision will be effective starting at 6:00 am (0300 GMT) on May 13.'

The tension between the opposition and the majority erupted after the government said it would investigate a Hezbollah telephone network and reassign airport security chief Colonel Wafik Chouckair over his alleged links to Hezbollah.

Clashes turned deadly on Thursday after Nasrallah accused the government of declaring war against his party when it took its decision to investigate the group's private telecommunications network and reassign the airport security chief.

The showdown saw Hezbollah gunmen seize large parts of west Beirut last week, plunging an already fragile nation into fear and uncertainty.

Opposition gunmen withdrew from Beirut's streets on Saturday after the army acted to overturn the decisions.

The army has also moved into several areas of tension, including the Druze mountains south-east of the capital after weekend gun battles there between the rival factions.

In northern Lebanon, the areas witnessed early morning clashes Tuesday, but the situation returned to normal after the Lebanese army intervened.

A member of a Sunni exremist group in northern Lebanon, Fathi Shahal, threatened armed resistance if the Shiite gunmen continue to fight Sunni Muslims across Lebanon.

'We are ready for resistance to protect our Sunni brothers,' he said.

In the eastern part of the country roads leading to Bekaa valley were opened by the Lebanese army, following six days of closure.

Meanwhile, the country was awaiting an Arab league delegation scheduled to arrive in a bid to end the violence at the city's international airport which has been closed since Wednesday.

Arab foreign ministers who held weekend crisis talks in Cairo decided to send a delegation to hold talks with the Lebanese rivals.

Hezbollah welcomed the Arab League decision but insisted that the delegation must be neutral.

'We ask the Arabs not to favor one party over another,' Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's political aide Hussein Khalil told a news conference late Monday.

The showdown saw Hezbollah gunmen seize large parts of west Beirut last week, plunging an already fragile nation into fear and uncertainty.

There was widespread foreign condemnation of the move, with US President George Bush slamming Hezbollah's action.

'I strongly condemn Hezbollah's recent efforts, and those of their foreign sponsors in Tehran and Damascus, to use violence and intimidation to bend the government and people of Lebanon to their will,' Bush said in a statement.

The current violence led speaker and opposition leader Nabih Berri to postpone a 19th attempt to elect a president, scheduled for Tuesday, until June 10.

Lawmakers were set to make a 19th attempt to replace pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud, who stepped down at the end of his mandate in November with no successor because of the standoff between the government and Hezbollah-led opposition.