Even as diplomats from around the Middle East and Europe scramble to prevent Lebanon from erupting into sectarian violence, tensions in Beirut are on the rise. With the Hezbollah-organized protests in Beirut -- aimed at toppling the Lebanese government -- entering their fourth day on Monday, the Lebanese army deployed more soldiers in the capital in an effort to prevent outbreaks of violence and to discourage demonstrators from attempting to storm Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's office.

The protests on Monday were largely peaceful following scattered violence on Sunday. But the demonstrators, who represent the pro-Syrian opposition and who accuse Saniora of being a US lackey, show no signs of folding up their tents and heading home.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was in Damascus on Monday to speak with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem and with President Bashar Assad about ways to avoid a crisis. Steinmeier, who was in Lebanon on Saturday to emphasize German and European support for Saniora, said he would deliver a strongly-worded message to Assad saying that Syria had to recognize Lebanese sovereignty if Syria wanted to end its international isolation. Syria is seen as an important backer of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"Lebanon must have a chance to develop based on its own domestic forces and that can only happen when outside interference is ruled out," Steinmeier said over the weekend.

Seeking a way out of chaos

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa was also in Beirut over the weekend to express concern over the situation and to talk about possible ways out of the crisis with Lebanese leaders. He said that Arab countries would not stand by idly and watch the country descend into chaos.

"The stability of Lebanon and moving towards a solution that would bring about a sure future for the country is one of our concerns," Moussa said. "All of us are worried about the situation in Lebanon.

Even as Hezbollah demonstrators, who also have the backing of some Christian groups in Lebanon, have pledged to remain camped out in the center of Beirut until Saniora stands down, the Lebanese prime minister vowed over the weekend not to buckle under the pressure. A small mass was held in his office on Sunday in memory of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, who was assassinated in November. A rival mass was held in the nearby St. George Cathedral by Hezbollah ally and Christian leader Michel Aoun.

"A solution to any problem does not come through the street because this means might trigger a counter-means and therefore, we will not reach any result," Saniora said to gathered reporters following the mass.

A spectre of sectarian violence

Security officials said they were increasing the military presence in Sunni districts that the mostly Shiite supporters travel through on their way to the protests in central Beirut. A number of scuffles erupted in the neighborhoods on Sunday, including one which ended in gunshots and the death of a young man. Twenty-one injuries also resulted. A van carrying protesters through the area earlier in the day had been stoned by locals. The incidents of violence have raised the spectre of sectarian violence in a country which has seen two violent civil wars in recent history.

Israel, too, is concerned with the rising tensions on its northern border and has warned that a fall of the Beirut government could lead to an Iranian proxy state and would increase the possibility of renewed violence between Israel and Hezbollah. The war between the Shiite radical group and Israel this summer emboldened Hezbollah in its current drive for more power in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will head to Berlin next Tuesday to speak with Chancellor Angela Merkel about the situation, German government spokesman Thomas Steg announced on Monday.

Germany has made the Middle East a priority for its upcoming presidencies of both the European Union and the Group of Eight -- both of which start on January 1. "It is very important to speak before the presidency begins with as many actors as possible in this crisis-shaken region," Steg said. "We have set ourselves the aim of using the presidency to give new stimuli for a political process to solve the Middle East conflict."

A festival atmosphere

The protests in Beirut come following massive one- day protest in November after Gemayel's assassination. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest against Syria's influence in Lebanon as many assumed that Damascus was behind the killing. The murder was just the most recent in a series of assassinations of anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon, starting with the February killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. One reason Hezbollah is interested in toppling Saniora's government is his support for a United Nations tribunal to try those behind the Hariri murder -- many of whom may have direct ties to the government in Damascus.

But among the protesters on the streets of Beirut on Monday, the mood was much more festive than that among diplomats. Indeed, the atmosphere is more that of a week-long music festival with young protesters sharing water pipes on the sidewalks or dancing to drum beats. Many are waving Lebanese flags and some have even painted their faces in the color of the opposition party. "We come here because of all the free time we have," Hassan Osman, 21, told Reuters on Monday. "We are sitting at home, not working so what are we supposed to do? We want to change Saniora so we can change our lives. One comes here to chill out, otherwise we'll just explode."

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URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,452389,00.html