(Times-UK) Nicholas Blanford - About 140 Syrian intellectuals and human rights activists Wednesday published an open letter urging Damascus to withdraw its estimated 14,000 troops from Lebanon to avoid further international censure. Accusations that Damascus was responsible for the assassination last week of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri have spurred an outpouring of anti-Syrian anger in Lebanon. A dormitory for Syrians in north Lebanon was burnt down last week and mobs in Sidon have attacked Syrian workers. Thousands of Syrian laborers have fled in the past week, fearing further reprisals. As many as one million Syrians work in Lebanon.
2005-02-24 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive