LEBANON: Leaders play soccer match to mark 35th anniversary of civil war

Record ID: 252594

  • Title: LEBANON: Leaders play soccer match to mark 35th anniversary of civil war
  • Date: 14th April 2010
  • Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FILE FOOTAGE OF CLASHES BETWEEN LEBANESE MILITANTS IN BEIRUT IN MAY 2007/ AUDIO OF GUNFIRE
  • Embargoed: 29th April 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA74WPEO39TJCBPVXI8EAHSQMZ9
  • Story Text: Lebanese politicians played a different game on Tuesday (April 13) , one that did not involve exchanging accusations, heated rhetoric or gunfire.
    It was soccer.
    Ministers and lawmakers from once feuding parties gathered in Beirut's national stadium to play a friendly game of soccer -- a message on the 35th anniversary of the civil war that they are ''all one team.'' Despite the heavy security and the presence of dozens of media outlets and all the top officials in the country, there was no audience.
    The seats of the stadium were empty for security reasons and the Lebanese had to be content with cheering or booing their leaders while watching them on television instead.
    But this is not unusual in Lebanese soccer. No audience is allowed during national football league games for fear supporters of the competing teams might clash.
    Nevertheless, the game gave the right signal to Lebanese, says Saleh, a newspaper seller in the Hamra neighbourhood of Beirut.
    It was amusing watching the politicians play, although some politicians showed they did not play football all that well, he said.
    ''We had a good laugh. But if the politicians are planning to run the country the way they play football, then we have a big problem,'' he said.
    On the front pages of the main dailies, there were pictures of embracing and chit-chatting ministers and lawmakers - from Hezbollah, Amal, the Phalange party, the Future Movement and other parties, all of whom have fought each other at one point or the other in Lebanon's long history of war.
    Ahmad Harb, a Beirut resident, was happy with the game.
    ''The game was very good because it showed the public that they have patched up their differences. They played and had fun and cleared their hearts,'' he said.
    Lebanon is enjoying a period of political and security stability thanks to a deal in 2008 that ended a three year dispute between supporters of Hezbollah and the supporters of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
    In May 2008, many Lebanese feared there would be a repeat of the 1975-1990 civil war when the dispute between the two camps turned violent. But a Qatar-brokered deal helped avert a war and put the country back on the path of political and economic recovery.
    Lawmaker Ammar Houri said the game showed the Lebanese were serious about learning from their mistakes.
    ''Today we are one team and we are committed to that approach, we are committed to learning from the mistakes that we have all made in the past,'' said Houri, a member of Hariri's Future Movement bloc, shortly before the game began.
    At least 81 people were killed during the May 7, 2008 violence during which Hezbollah routed its rivals and briefly seized control of parts of Beirut.
    At least 150,000 people are thought to have died during Lebanon's 15-year civil war.
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