A protester stands between soldiers during a general strike called by the opposition in Kaslik area, north of Beirut January 23, 2007. Thousands of Lebanese protesters blocked main roads in Beirut and around the country with rubble and burning tyres on Tuesday at the start of a general strike called by the opposition to try to topple the government. REUTERS/George Abdallah (LEBANON)  To view more pictures please click READ MORE

BEIRUT (AFP) JAN 24 – Calm returned to Lebanon as roads were cleared and Beirut airport reopened after the opposition called off a general strike that sparked deadly street fights ahead of a donor conference in Paris. Traffic moved freely Wednesday after tractors and cleaners worked all night to clear tyres, sand and rubble from streets blocked in an opposition show of force on Tuesday aimed at ousting the Western-backed government.

Many shops also reopened, although some waited until noon to ensure the situation had returned to normal. The state-run Lebanese University and many schools across the country stayed shut.Tuesday’s strike turned violent as opposition militants burned tyres, blocked roads and fought street battles with pro-government supporters that left three people dead and 133 others wounded.The violent protests paralysed Lebanon for a day and added to concerns over the stability of a country still bearing the scars of the 1975-1990 civil war and last summer’s massive Israeli war against the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah.

PARIS – The tug-of-war for control of Lebanon takes a financial turn Thursday, with high-ranking officials from 35 mostly Western and Gulf countries meeting in Paris seeking to raise billions of dollars in aid for Prime Minister Fuad Saniora’s embattled government.

Saniora left Lebanon for Paris on a private jet Wednesday, a day after Hezbollah-led protesters who want to topple him clashed with government supporters across the country. At least three people were killed and dozens injured in the violence.

The United States and other Western nations that support Saniora see crucial stakes in Lebanon, hoping the country can emerge from years of war as an oasis of stability in the restive Middle East and stand on its own without interference from countries like Syria or Iran

Analysts expect the countries meeting in Paris to raise $5 billion in grants and loans to help cut Lebanon’s public debt and pay for rebuilding costs after the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah fighters last summer.

Jan 24, Life was returning to normal in the Lebanese capital and around the country Wednesday, a day after violent confrontation between government supporters and opponents killed three people and wounded dozens. The violence was the worst escalation of the  opposition’s campaign to topple Prime Minister Fuad Saniora’s Cabinet.

Most private and public schools that closed Tuesday after the opposition called a general strike against the government reopened Wednesday as did banks and commercial shops in Beirut and other cities. The road to the airport, closed by burning tires and earthen barricades set up by the opposition, was reopened by the Lebanese army shortly after midnight Tuesday. This allowed a Middle East Airlines plane to fly to Milano Wednesday morning. Roads at Beirut’s northern and southern entrances were reopened to traffic Wednesday after they were blocked by burning tires and sand barricades by protesters.

By Tom Perry BEIRUT, Jan 23 (Reuters) – Lebanon’s opposition called on workers to go on strike on Tuesday in an escalation of its campaign against the government that is set to deepen the political crisis in the country. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, part of the opposition, called on Lebanese to observe the strike and be ready for more steps which the opposition might announce to press its demands for veto power in cabinet and new elections. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s  has shrugged off the demands, instead preparing for an international aid conference in Paris on Thursday that it hopes will yield billions of dollars for Lebanon’s debt-laden economy.

Opposition figures, who say the government is illegitimate and a tool of the United States, have suggested mass protests would accompany the strike. The opposition’s campaign, which started on Dec. 1 with an open-ended protest in central Beirut, has been largely peaceful. One anti-government protester was shot dead in December.