BEIRUT, 20 December 2005 — Anti-Syrian youth activists angered by last week’s assassination of a key anti-Syrian lawmaker planned to protest in central Beirut late last night to press for the resignation of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud. The students also are pressing for the removal of pro-Syrian agents within the Lebanese security services. Students and youth activists from various Christian and Muslim groups opposed to Syria’s influence in Lebanon began last week to re-erect what had been known as “Camp Freedom” on Martyrs’ Square in downtown Beirut.

The students had camped out there for more than two months last early spring — after the February assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and after massive street protests — until Syria withdrew its troops in April. Youth activists representing anti-Syrian groups called on Lebanese to come to the square and revive the camp “to defend Lebanon’s unity in the face of the Syrian regime’s attacks and the grudges of the ruling family in Syria.”

Syria has denied any involvement in either the assassination of Hariri last February or last week’s killing of prominent anti-Syrian journalist and legislator Gebran Tueni. But a UN probe has implicated top Syrian and Lebanese security officials in the massive truck bombing that killed Hariri and 20 other people on Feb. 14. Lahoud has repeatedly rejected calls by anti-Syrian groups to resign, vowing to remain in office until his renewed mandate expires in 2007.

The anti-Syrian groups are counting on public anger over Tueni’s killing to push for ridding the government of remnants of the Syrian era — including intelligence operatives — and close ranks in confronting Damascus. A statement issued at a press conference in the northern city of Tripoli demanded “the ouster of President Emile Lahoud who is obstructing the march of security, sovereignty and free decision-making.”

The main impetus behind the revival of “Camp Freedom” was the assassination of Tueni, a lawmaker and general manager of Lebanon’s leading newspaper An-Nahar, who was killed with two others in a car bomb that destroyed his vehicle last Monday.

Hundreds of Tueni’s supporters, mainly journalists from An-Nahar and other media outlets, joined the victim’s widow, Siham, and his two daughters, Nayla and Michelle, in a sit-in yesterday outside the An-Nahar building in central Beirut, observing an hour of silence.

In addition, a coalition of anti-Syrian legislators and politicians yesterday called for political consensus to confront the Syrian regime’s “terrorist and aggressive role” in Lebanon. After a meeting, the Christian and Muslim politicians and MPs also renewed a call for the resignation of Lahoud, “the number one symbol of the (former pro-Syrian) security regime,” a statement said.

They said Lahoud should be removed from power because of his “role in obstructing the path of the nation toward freedom and sovereignty... and because of the implication of his aides in the assassination” of Hariri.

The politicians said “consolidating national unity requires the launch of a wide campaign of dialogue open to all the sides ... to reach a common vision on the terrorist and aggressive role of the Syrian regime.” The group of politicians is dubbed the “forces of March 14,” after an unprecedented massive demonstration in the downtown area.

But since the May-June general elections, they have lost followers of the Free National Current of popular Christian leader Gen. Michel Aoun. They called for dialogue with the Free National Current as well as the Hezbollah and Amal whose Cabinet ministers have boycotted the government over calls for an international probe into a wave of attacks against Damascus critics.