MIDDLE EAST: Hundreds of thousands gathered in the centre of Beirut yesterday for the funeral of the Lebanese industry minister, Pierre Gemayel, who was shot dead by unknown assassins on Tuesday.
Outside St George's cathedral, a young girl stood with tears streaming down her face as she watched pallbearers carry Mr Gemayel's white coffin inside. The sound of choir music from within filled the air, punctuated by the thud of army helicopters circling above.
Beyond the cathedral, thousands of Lebanese flags fluttered in the wind in a massive showing of anti-Syrian sentiment, with many gathered to demonstrate their support for the beleaguered US-backed government.
Patriotic music blared from large speaker trucks as young men chanted angry slogans denouncing the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and his Lebanese allies - President Emile Lahoud and the Shia militant group Hizbullah - whom they blame for Mr Gemayel's killing.
"It was Syria who killed Gemayel. Even though they have pulled out, the Syrians still have many agents here. They want to stir up instability to block the UN court," said 22-year-old Bachir.
Among those attending an emotional service in the cathedral were the French foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy; the Arab League secretary general, Amr Moussa, and the parliamentary speaker, Nabih Berri, Lebanon's leading Shia representative and a key ally of Hizbullah.
Lebanon's leading anti-Syrian politicians called for calm but vowed justice for those they believe are responsible.
Saad al-Hariri, son of the assassinated former prime minister, appeared to an eruption of cheers from the crowd. "Our national unity is stronger than their arms and terrorism," he told supporters.
But further demonstrations are expected in the coming days as the opposition pledges to push on with its civil disobedience campaign to bring down the government.
In the crowd, some chanted slogans deriding the Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun, who was notably asked not to attend the commemoration.
Others accused the Shia group of complicity in Mr Gemayel's killing. "It was Hizbullah, of course," said 27-year-old Monot Khouri. "Hizbullah may not have pulled the trigger, but they were definitely behind the decision to kill Gemayel."
Anger at Syria and resolve to support Lebanon's anti-Syrian majority coalition swept through the crowd. Inside the cathedral, family members wept and prayed over Gemayel's coffin.
"Whatever they do to remove young men, there will always be more young men to raise the flag," said Marwan Haj (25). "Syria doesn't want us to be free and make our own decisions."
Mourners turned out in force, but not in the vast numbers of March 14th last year after Hariri's killing, when an outpouring of anti-Syrian anger coupled with international pressure forced Damascus to withdraw its troops from Lebanon after 29 years.
"They will not suppress our demands for the truth, justice and the international court," said Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.
After the funeral, Gemayel's coffin was driven back to his home town of Bekfaya in the mountains above Beirut, where it was laid to rest in the family vault.
Even before Gemayel's killing, Lebanon was in crisis over efforts by Hizbullah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, to clip the wings of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government, despised by the Shia Muslim group as Washington's puppet.
The cabinet has been depleted by the resignation of six ministers from Hizbullah and other pro-Syrian factions. They quit after all-party talks on a new government collapsed. The government, keen to ensure the international tribunal is established, would fall if it lost two more ministers.
The UN Security Council approved on Wednesday a Lebanese government request to add Gemayel's killing to the string of previous attacks being investigated by a UN inquiry into Hariri's assassination.
- ( Guardian service; additional reporting Reuters)