March 14 Collapse Leads Western Sponsors Sarcasm over Few Participants
Local Editor
The promised March 13 arrived, and then passed by without any concrete effects or repercussions, and while some people were disappointed, others felt a relief that the situation rather stayed calm.
March 13, the day in which the March 14 team held their second "Cedar Revolution" Rally on its 6th year anniversary. People were promised with crowds, slogans, and great political speeches which would meet the motto of their rally, "No for Resistance Weapons".
Unfortunately for them, the people they gathered to participate in their "historic rally" did not exceed a couple of 40 thousands, according to international foreign news agencies; Reuters, Agence France Press, and the Associated Press.
On its part, Al Binaa newspaper mentioned that those left of the March 14 coalition have collapsed in the March 13 rally, considering the scene was definitely different than that of the year 2005.
Al Binaa clarified that almost a million participating took part in the 2005 rally, while this time; they were less than a hundred thousand.
The newspaper referred to the inciting parade which took place in the Martyr Square in Beirut, describing it as a lean festival, saying the March 14 team was subject to a true relapse during the rally.
Al Binaa stated that March 14 sought through this rally to begin its way as the "new opposition", but after the rally, they needed some reparation to reconsider all calculations after the "lame performance" witnessed by all the Lebanese, especially that of Saad Hariri's.
Furthermore, the daily stressed that the March 14 team's motto, "No to Resistance Weapons", collapsed in the Martyrs Square, where there was a humble representation.
Al Binaa noted the disappointments of the organizers, where the rally did not meet their expectations not on the popular nor on the political level, referring to a clear absence of all Lebanese Druze representation.
On another hand, As-Safir newspaper mentioned that the March 13 organizers failed to find any "Shiite representative" to fill in the gap, where the Future Movement chose one of its members, who also is Saad Hariri's consultant, MP Ghazi Yousef, to deliver a speech on behalf of the Shiites of his team.
The Lebanese daily pointed out that the aforementioned caused to deepening of the gap instead of filling it.
Regarding the foreign stances after the second "Cesar Revolution" rally, a diplomatic Western source expressed frustration that his March 14 allies were not capable of gathering around a million participants to take part in their planned Sunday rally.
The same source mocked the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces, which on its part forced some new agencies to adopt the number "800 thousand protester" while approximating the protesters of the rally, but the news agencies only mentioned the actually estimation; some hundreds of thousands.
It is unlikely that no one noticed the huge poster of Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz present on one of the buildings of the Martyrs Square during the March 13 Rally.
On this level, high ranked Lebanese figures wondered that if the March 14 team has repeatedly stressed that its motto is "Lebanon First", then why they have replaced a picture of Lebanese President Michel Suleiman with one for the Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.
On a different level, Saudi Arabia, according to the Gulf Center for Strategic Studies' sources, scolded at Lebanese caretaker PM Saad Hariri for the Media and political campaign he has launched against Hizbullah and Syria.
The Saudi sources stated that the said campaign would for sure reflect on Lebanese PM-designate Najib Mikati, in addition to the Saudi-Syrian relations.
The same sources, which are close to the Saudi King Abdullah, affirmed that during the meeting which took place on March 6 between Saudi King, Saad Hariri, and Prince Abdul Aziz, the latter criticized Hariri, blaming him for launching the unjustified campaign against Hizbullah.
According to the source, Prince Abdul Aziz stated that Saudi Arabia cannot tolerate with the repercussions of this campaign that could also lead to deteriorating its relations with Syria.
The Gulf Center for Strategic Studies' sources denied that the Saudi King is covering the anti-Hizbullah campaign led by Hariri, further referring to the negative role played by US Assistant Secretary of State, Jeffery Feltman, in this regard.
The promised March 13 arrived, and then passed by without any concrete effects or repercussions, and while some people were disappointed, others felt a relief that the situation rather stayed calm.
March 13, the day in which the March 14 team held their second "Cedar Revolution" Rally on its 6th year anniversary. People were promised with crowds, slogans, and great political speeches which would meet the motto of their rally, "No for Resistance Weapons".
Unfortunately for them, the people they gathered to participate in their "historic rally" did not exceed a couple of 40 thousands, according to international foreign news agencies; Reuters, Agence France Press, and the Associated Press.
On its part, Al Binaa newspaper mentioned that those left of the March 14 coalition have collapsed in the March 13 rally, considering the scene was definitely different than that of the year 2005.
Al Binaa clarified that almost a million participating took part in the 2005 rally, while this time; they were less than a hundred thousand.
The newspaper referred to the inciting parade which took place in the Martyr Square in Beirut, describing it as a lean festival, saying the March 14 team was subject to a true relapse during the rally.
Al Binaa stated that March 14 sought through this rally to begin its way as the "new opposition", but after the rally, they needed some reparation to reconsider all calculations after the "lame performance" witnessed by all the Lebanese, especially that of Saad Hariri's.
Furthermore, the daily stressed that the March 14 team's motto, "No to Resistance Weapons", collapsed in the Martyrs Square, where there was a humble representation.
Al Binaa noted the disappointments of the organizers, where the rally did not meet their expectations not on the popular nor on the political level, referring to a clear absence of all Lebanese Druze representation.
On another hand, As-Safir newspaper mentioned that the March 13 organizers failed to find any "Shiite representative" to fill in the gap, where the Future Movement chose one of its members, who also is Saad Hariri's consultant, MP Ghazi Yousef, to deliver a speech on behalf of the Shiites of his team.
The Lebanese daily pointed out that the aforementioned caused to deepening of the gap instead of filling it.
Regarding the foreign stances after the second "Cesar Revolution" rally, a diplomatic Western source expressed frustration that his March 14 allies were not capable of gathering around a million participants to take part in their planned Sunday rally.
The same source mocked the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces, which on its part forced some new agencies to adopt the number "800 thousand protester" while approximating the protesters of the rally, but the news agencies only mentioned the actually estimation; some hundreds of thousands.
It is unlikely that no one noticed the huge poster of Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz present on one of the buildings of the Martyrs Square during the March 13 Rally.
On this level, high ranked Lebanese figures wondered that if the March 14 team has repeatedly stressed that its motto is "Lebanon First", then why they have replaced a picture of Lebanese President Michel Suleiman with one for the Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.
On a different level, Saudi Arabia, according to the Gulf Center for Strategic Studies' sources, scolded at Lebanese caretaker PM Saad Hariri for the Media and political campaign he has launched against Hizbullah and Syria.
The Saudi sources stated that the said campaign would for sure reflect on Lebanese PM-designate Najib Mikati, in addition to the Saudi-Syrian relations.
The same sources, which are close to the Saudi King Abdullah, affirmed that during the meeting which took place on March 6 between Saudi King, Saad Hariri, and Prince Abdul Aziz, the latter criticized Hariri, blaming him for launching the unjustified campaign against Hizbullah.
According to the source, Prince Abdul Aziz stated that Saudi Arabia cannot tolerate with the repercussions of this campaign that could also lead to deteriorating its relations with Syria.
The Gulf Center for Strategic Studies' sources denied that the Saudi King is covering the anti-Hizbullah campaign led by Hariri, further referring to the negative role played by US Assistant Secretary of State, Jeffery Feltman, in this regard.
