Word: syria
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...have been a perfect year for a country more accustomed to serving as a battleground in regional power struggles was the fact that Lebanon has had no government since parliamentary elections in June. That was until Monday, when the majority U.S.-backed political bloc and its rivals in the Syria- and Iran-backed minority coalition finally agreed on a new power-sharing Cabinet. But while the deal ends the three-year political crisis that brought the country to the brink of civil war, it doesn't address the question underlying the dispute: Should Lebanon be a Westward-looking business-oriented...
...While the Bush Administration regarded the withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon in 2005 - as a result of international pressure and Lebanese street protests - as one of its biggest successes in the Middle East, the new Obama Administration has been less aggressive in its backing for the pro-U.S. Lebanese government. Lebanese media also suggest that Saudi Arabia was dismayed that Hariri's Future movement, which had been building a militia with Saudi money, was so easily routed by Hizballah in the May 2008 street fights. Last month, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah traveled to Damascus for a state visit...
...deadlock was initially thought to be caused by external pressures, especially from Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the West. Western countries have been engaging Iran in nuclear dialogues, and the Obama administration, supporters of the March 14 coalition, preferred a government “that reflects the parliamentary election’s results.” However, since the Lebanese president refuses to form such a government and since Iran cooperated with the West, the American position has only stalled the formation of any kind of government...
Another contributing factor to the stalemate was the Saudi Arabian king’s visit to Damascus. Relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia have been tense ever since the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, but relations between the two countries have been improving steadily ever since Syria and Lebanon established proper diplomatic ties, and the reconciliation was sealed by King Abdallah’s visit to Damascus over the summer. Politicians in Beirut followed the events carefully, hoping that any new development might steer the government in a new direction. Both countries have interests in different Lebanese...
...According to U.S. attorneys, Mehanna's current plot had two co-conspirators - a man named Ahmad Abousamra and a third person, who is cooperating with authorities and has so far been unnamed. The three men met before the Sept. 11 attacks and attempted to join terrorist groups in Pakistan, Syria, Iraq and Yemen...