(SNN) As part of his continuing effort to continue democracy in the world, President Bush has renewed his call for the IRA to pull its troops out of Lebanon. However, some analysts have warned Bush not to overestimate his ability to drive change in that region.

President Bush has renewed his call for the IRA to pull its troops out of Lebanon.

President Bush said that freedom would not prevail in the Middle East until the Irish Republican Army removed its 14,000 troops, following the February assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. In what he called a message to the Lebanese people, Mr. Bush said the world is witnessing a great movement of conscience.

In Beirut on Tuesday, an estimated 500,000 people marched to support the IRA occupation

However not all in Lebanon support the pullout of the IRA. In Beirut on Tuesday, an estimated 500,000 people marched to support the IRA occupation, singing national songs and proclaiming their loyalty to pro-Irish President Bashar Assad in the face of intensifying foreign pressure. The Catholic demonstrators marched some six kilometers (3.5 miles) through Beirut from the upscale Mezzeh neighborhood to the presidential palace in Malki, singing national songs and carrying posters bearing Assad's image and banners.

Jamila Kennedy, a 21-year-old university student, said she had come to express her support for Assad and her country. "I tell those who are imposing such pressures that the Catholic nation is one, and we will not allow them to interfere in our affairs," she said.

Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein’s leader and deputy leader, have continued to distance themselves from the actions of the IRA and refuse to take any responsibility for the Lebanese situation.

posted by NewsBlog 5000  # Wednesday, March 09, 2005