March 14 calls for gathering on Saturday

 

The youth and student organizations of the March 14 forces called for a mass assembly at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning in Martyr’s Square on the occasion of the convening of the Arab Summit.

 

The Lebanese government on Tuesday announced it would not participate in the Arab Summit, hosted by Damascus on March 29-30. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco also decided to send low-level representation as a reflection of their position against the highly debated Syrian role in the Lebanese political crisis.

 

The Cedar Revolution Youth noted they planned on erecting photographs of all the martyrs of the revolution in the Square, in addition to a large screen broadcasting the proceedings of the Arab Summit.

 

The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported that the youth and student members of the Cedar Revolution were planning the gathering as a protest against the obstacles set by the Syrian regime in the face of the Arab initiative, an Arab League effort to solve the Lebanese crisis and bring about the immediate election of a President of the Republic.

 

A number March 14 members are to speak on Saturday, followed by a reading of a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora calling for an investigation into Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons.

 

The NNA also reported that the memorandum’s requests would be broadcast via local and international media. The March 14 alliance will also send a copy to the Arab League Secretariat, the participants in the Arab Summit, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.