Lebanese blame Syria for violence at embassy

MIDDLE EAST: Lebanon's Social Affairs Minister Nayla Muawad has called on the government to file a complaint against Syria to the UN Security Council for alleged involvement in Sunday's violent demonstrations at the Danish embassy in Beirut's Christian quarter.

Extremist elements infiltrated the peaceful protest over the publication in Denmark of cartoons denigrating Islam's Prophet Muhammad, set the building alight and threw bricks through the window of a nearby church.

"This is an organised attempt to take advantage of Muslim anger for purposes that do not serve the interests of Muslims and Lebanon, but those of others beyond the border," Ms Muawad, a Christian, said. Her request was supported by Christian and Druze ministers.

Officials say the Beirut events may have been spill-over from Saturday's riots in Damascus where the Danish and Norwegian embassies were torched.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt asked why protests against the cartoons only became violent in Lebanon and Syria and blamed the violence on Damascus which he said was determined to show that Lebanon had not been able to impose law and order since Syria withdrew its troops and intelligence apparatus last April.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, a former Maronite Christian warlord, took a similar line but called on Christians to exercise restraint and said Lebanese Muslims should not be blamed.

Of the people arrested following the violence 77 were Syrians, 42 Palestinians, 48 Lebanese and 25 bedouin.

Lebanon's chief Sunni cleric, Mufti Rashid Kabbani, also spoke of infiltrators whose object was to "harm the stability of Lebanon".

Sunni politician Saad Hariri, who heads the majority bloc in parliament, said: "What happened is absolutely unacceptable . . . We will pursue every individual until he is punished. I would like to tell the Christians that the Muslims are ashamed of what happened."