BEIRUT (Reuters) – Voters go to the polls in south Lebanon on Sunday in the second phase of parliamentary elections with the country rattled by the assassination of a prominent anti-Syrian journalist. A slate led by Syria’s allies Hizbollah and Amal groups looks assured of victory in the Shi’ite Muslim heartland bordering Israel but the killing of columnist Samir Kassir on Thursday has again raised the stakes at the polls.The disparate anti-Syrian opposition put some of its differences aside to join voices in blaming Syria and its security allies for the killing and called for the resignation of President Emile Lahoud, a close ally of Damascus.Several opposition figures said his resignation would be the new parliament’s main task after the May 29-June 19 elections. The opposition called on Friday for a gathering at a crossroads leading to Lahoud’s presidential palace on Monday “to declare the responsibility of the chief of the Lebanese-Syrian security regime for the series of assassinations.”

A prominent Lebanese journalist was today assassinated when a bomb exploded in his car, police said. Officers said Samir Kassir was killed when a device left under the driver’s seat exploded. He was a columnist for An-Nahar, a leading newspaper frequently critical of Syria and the former Lebanese government that was allied with Damascus. The explosion, which happened in the Christian Ashrafieh neighbourhood of Beirut this morning, set the car on fire. Mr Lahoud’s spokesman, Rafik Shalala, described the murder as a “grave incident”, and said the president had ordered an investigation. “It’s better not to make accusations until the circumstances are uncovered,” he told the al-Arabiya television channel. To view pictures pls click read more.

Arms challenge awaits Hizbollah after Lebanon poll

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah is arguably Lebanon’s most powerful leader and the prowess of his Hizbollah fighters gives him prestige far beyond its borders.

He has nothing to fear when Lebanon’s phased parliamentary polls move south on Sunday, with victory assured for Hizbollah in alliance with Amal, the other main pro-Syrian group in the Shi’ite Muslim heartlands bordering Israel.

The Amal-Hizbollah “steamroller” is set to sweep the region’s 23 seats in the second stage of elections that began in mainly Sunni Muslim Beirut last Sunday with a landslide win for the son of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

But Nasrallah will need all his political skill to deal with changes in Lebanon now that Syrian troops are gone and to fend off U.S.-led pressure on Hizbollah to abandon its weapons.

Key facts about Lebanon’s Hizbollah

BEIRUT, June 2 (Reuters) – Lebanon’s Hizbollah movement is contesting parliamentary elections in the south on Sunday in alliance with Amal, the other major Shi’ite Muslim group.

The Hizbollah-Amal slate could sweep all 23 seats allotted to south Lebanon in the 128-member parliament.

Following are key facts about Hizbollah:

* Hizbollah, or Party of God, was founded by Iranian Revolutionary Guards during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982. It was inspired by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who vowed holy war on Israel and its Western allies.

* Funded and armed by Tehran, the group began a guerrilla war to evict Israeli forces from Lebanon. Shadowy groups linked to Hizbollah launched suicide attacks on Western targets and took Westerners hostage in Beirut. The most spectacular attack was a suicide bombing that destroyed the U.S. Marine headquarters in Beirut in October 1983, killing 241 servicemen.

* Hizbollah announced its political platform in 1985, aiming at turning Lebanon into an Iranian-style republic, a goal since dropped. It fought rival Lebanese groups until the civil war ended in 1990 and kept up attacks on Israeli occupation forces.

CHRONOLOGY-Key events in Lebanon since Hariri’s killing LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) – Samir Qaseer, a prominent anti-Syrian journalist of An-Nahar newspaper was killed in Beirut on Thursday when a bomb destroyed his car, security sources said. Here is a chronology of the main events in Lebanon since former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was killed in […]

LEBANON: Blast kills Lebanese journalist

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A car bomb exploded in a Christian area of Beirut Thursday, killing a prominent journalist known for his opposition to Syria’s involvement in Lebanon, according Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.The journalist, identified as Samir Kassir, wrote for the Lebanese daily newspaper An Nahar — A publication often critical of Syria..An unidentified woman was wounded in the blast, officials said. Lebanon is in the midst of parliamentary elections that began May 29 and run through June 19. The explosion occurred mid-morning in the Ashrafieh neighborhood of Beirut, setting the car on fire and killing the occupant. Police, who cordoned off the area around the charred car, said the bomb was placed under the driver’s seat. Kassir’s body lay slumped on one side inside the blasted vehicle, an Alfa-Romeo sedan.

‘Lebanon set to recover from near-zero growth’ By Will Rasmussen , Daily Star May 25, 2005 BEIRUT: Lebanon is “on the eve of a historic reform opportunity” which could boost foreign investment and shave the public debt to 130 percent of GDP in four years – down from around 180 percent today. A report released […]

Liberation Day celebrated in South Lebanon

Lahoud says struggle with Israel continues

By Mohammed Zaatari and Nafez Qawas , Daily Star
Wednesday, May 25, 2005

SIDON: Five years after the liberation of South Lebanon from Israeli forces, dozens of Israeli tanks remain scattered in various towns and villages as living proof of the major defeat of the Israeli Army in Lebanon.

Southerners still remember the withdrawal of Israeli troops under the fire of the Islamic resistance party Hizbullah in May 2000 as a turning point and a reason for celebration.

President Emile Lahoud described the event as “an occasion to learn from past experience and consolidate solidarity.”

“Such a unity and solidarity among the Lebanese has in the past helped Lebanon to establish an unprecedented glory by forcing Israeli troops of occupation out of South Lebanon and by liberating the Lebanese territories.” He added: “Liberation would not have been accomplished without the resistance and assistance of sister Syria and other friends of Lebanon worldwide.”

Lebanon election promises sea change

Source : Aljazeera , May 25 , 2005

Free of the shackles of its powerful neighbour Syria, Lebanon votes on Sunday in what is being hailed as the first truly free elections in three decades – with the anti-Damascus opposition set to win.

Many of Syria’s once-powerful allies have already thrown in the towel and key opposition figures including veteran Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and Saad al-Hariri, son of slain ex-prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, are assured of victory.

The real litmus test for the opposition, which is offering Lebanon’s more than two million voters no real manifesto, will be the turnout – a key indicator of any new government’s legitimacy.

The four-round election, which kicks off on 29 May in Beirut to be followed by three more rounds on consecutive Sundays, is the first to take place under international supervision.

Nine candidates on Saad al-Hariri’s list have already been elected without a single vote being cast, and another 10 are almost assured of victory.

Lebanon