BEIRUT - Chanting "Beirut is free, America out," hundreds of thousands of people swarmed into the Lebanese capital Tuesday for a mass rally led by the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah to counter global demands for an end to Syria`s domination.
"We are united here to above all thank Syria, the Syrian people and the Syrian army which has stayed by our side for many long years and is still with us," Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah declared before the massive crowds.
Streams of buses, pick-up trucks and cars jammed highways leading to the capital where black-clad militants from the powerful Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah joined hundreds of thousands crowded into the central Riad Solh Square in the heart of Beirut.
One official said the numbers could be close to one and a half million and Hezbollah television called the demonstration "historic."
"Lebanon isn`t your playground," was the slogan on one poster bearing a picture of US President George W. Bush, who has been leading international calls for Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
"Thank you Syria, no to foreign interference," read one banner in the square decorated with the Lebanese red-and-white national flags that have become a symbol of rival rallies by anti-Syrian opposition forces.
"Beirut is free, America out," shouted demonstrators.
Some Hezbollah members were accompanied by bomb-sniffing dogs, while Lebanese army jeeps and armoured vehicles were lined up to separate the pro-Syrian demonstrators from neighbouring Martyrs` Square which has been filled almost daily with rival opposition supporters chanting "Syria out."
On Tuesday, protestors waved portraits of the late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, his successor son Bashar al-Assad as well as his Lebanese counterpart Emile Lahoud and Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.
The demonstrators, who came from across Lebanon, held a minute of silence in memory of assassinated former prime minister Rafic Hariri, before the Lebanese national anthem was sung.
The pro-Syrian groups -- in stark contrast to the opposition in Lebanon -- have voiced their opposition to UN Security Council Resolution 1559 calling for the pullout of troops saying that Lebanon was still at a "state of war" with neighbouring Israel.
"We are going to protest to voice our condemnation of the UN resolutions and support the resistance. Neither Bush nor the UN can decide what sort of life and government we want," declared Hussein Faqih de Kafra, 24.
One man approached the platform and shouted "No to foreign interference, American ambassador don`t meddle with Lebanon," as the crowd erupted in cheers and echoed the chant.
Others brandished a cross and a copy of the Koran, chanting "No to partition, no to the permanent presence (of Palestinian refugees), our unity is stronger than 1559."
"We want to speak the truth, America we don`t want you," they shouted.
Nasrallah said Sunday he rejected Resolution 1559 and demands for the immediate pullout of foreign troops from Lebanon and the disarming of militias on its territories.
"We have the right to reject the international resolution because it is a blatant interference in our internal affairs and all its clauses are free services to the Israeli enemy," he said.
03/08/2005 14:53 GMT