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Topic: Qornet Shehwan Gathering

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	Qornet Shehwan Gathering - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The Qornet Shehwan Gathering is a Lebanese political organization, comprising politicians, intellectuals, and businessmen, mostly Christian and ranging in ideology from the centre-right to the center-left.
		In the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on 14 February 2005, however, the Qornet Shehwan has escalated its campaign to call for the immediate withdrawal of Syrian military and intelligence forces from Lebanon, and for fresh parliamentary and presidential elections to be held, free from foreign interference.
		Qornet Shehwan member and parliamentarian Samir Frangieh said on March 16, 2005 that parliamentary elections must precede presidential ones, because the current parliament (elected in 2000 and allegedly gerrymandered to produce a pro-Syrian majority), would be likely to elect another pro-Syrian President to succeed Emile Lahoud, whom the opposition considers to be a Syrian puppet.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Qornet_Shehwan_Gathering (844 words)

	The Daily Star - Editorial - A death and a hope for rebirth for the Qornet Shehwan Gathering
		The gathering was the brainchild of Maronite Bishop Youssef Bishara, and it was adopted, nurtured and encouraged by Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir.
		Qornet Shehwan gathered enough steam from the Maronite Bishops' statement of 2000 - which alerted the world to Syria's heavy-handed interference in Lebanese affairs - to consolidate Christian opinion and spearhead a campaign of capitalizing on the habitual mistakes of the ruling Syrian alliance, which until recently held the country in its relentless grip.
		In effect, Qornet Shehwan was put to rest a year ago by the patriarch himself when he called on its members to shed their stubbornly sectarian sentiments and forge new alliances on the basis of a national platform.
	www.dailystar.com.lb /article.asp?edition_id=10&article_id=15046&categ_id=17 (766 words)

	Lebanese Opposition Steps Up Attacks on Government
		The Qornet Shehwan gathering issued a statement condemning the attack, calling the assassination a "crime against humanity" and pleaded with the international community to open a formal investigation into the bombing.
		The gathering also called for a large turnout for Hariri's burial in a "farewell freedom march." It reiterated its call for the government to step down, paving the way for a transitory administration to oversee the full withdrawal of Syrian forces.
		Qornet Shehwan member Samir Franjieh said upon meeting with Sfeir said that there were new procedures the opposition would take that would be announced following the state burial on Wednesday.
	www.aina.org /news/2005021608529.htm (569 words)

	Lebanon
		After MTV and Radio Mont Liban were closed on September 4th, Qornet Shehwan called for a demonstration but was taken by surprise by a counter-demonstration to be staged on the same date, prompting the Interior Ministry to ban both.
		Qornet Shehwan formed a committee to organize the demonstration and ask political, social and religious leaders for their participation.
		Earlier, Batroun MP and Qornet Shehwan member Butros Harb, speaking to reporters at Bkirki after holding talks with Sfeir, said that he totally disagreed with the court decision to keep MTV closed indefinitely for breaching Article 68 of the election law, which forbids the airing of election campaign propaganda immediately prior to elections.
	www.westerndefense.org /articles/Lebanon/nov02.htm (673 words)

	FLAYM News Updates: Edde abandons Qornet Shehwan
		Qornet ShehwanÂ’s secretary- general, Samir Abdel- Malak, Shakib Qortbawi and Salim Salhab opposed EddeÂ’s decision, saying they saw no Â“convincing excuseÂ” for withdrawing at such a critical time.
		Meanwhile, Qornet Shehwan will hold its scheduled meeting Tuesday and is expected to discuss EddeÂ’s withdrawal and the Constitutional CouncilÂ’s decision to strip Metn MP Gabriel Murr of his seat in Parliament after accepting a challenge to his victory.
		Meanwhile, Qornet Shehwan : will hold its scheduled meeting Tuesday and : is expected to discuss EddeÂ’s withdrawal : and the Constitutional CouncilÂ’s decision : to strip Metn MP Gabriel Murr of his seat : in Parliament after accepting a challenge : to his victory.
	members2.boardhost.com /flaym/msg/535.html (848 words)

	Future TV (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Opposition factions led by the Christian Qornet Shehwan Gathering and Druze leader Jumblatt had rejected participation in a new government, charging the authorities are not serious about dialogue and accusing Damascus of continued interference in Lebanese affairs.
		Late Tuesday, Qornet Shehwan met and expressed a decisive position not to participate in a new government and not to take part in legislative consultations ahead of its formation.
		Qornet Shehwan said bringing back the past did not serve national interests and stressed that Jumblatt and the Maronite Church had mended ties three years ago.
	www.future.com.lb /Default.aspx?page=news&news_id=299 (557 words)

	The United Australian Lebanese Movement (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Previously, the gathering had called for the replacement of the government with an another that is independent and reflective of the people’s will, established on democracy, worthy of respect and subject to checks and balances.
		The gathering said that this sought after authority was a necessity for the survival of the country and for the future of its children, especially after the area entered a new era, in reference to the regional developments affecting the entire region.
		Based on what they said, the gathering invited all committed political parties to work on saving the country and to communicate and to discuss issues according to the democratic principles that should be applied, in order for the government to acquire the popular support that it lacks.
	www.ualm.org.au /news.asp?display=content&id=305 (549 words)

	Lebanonwire.com \| Qornet Shehwan Gathering celebrates first anniversary with attack on government
		The Qornet Shehwan Gathering met Tuesday to celebrate its first anniversary, releasing a statement that outlined its accomplishments while slamming the government’s economic policies and the authorities’ intervention in political life.
		It said the gathering had succeeded in “turning a page on past disputes with the Palestinians”; and cited the recent visit to Bkirki by a delegation representing the Palestinian leadership.
		But the gathering also urged the Lebanese, particularly young people, to remain attached to their roots and their country despite the difficulties it was experiencing.
	www.lebanonwire.com /0204/02050111DS.htm (421 words)

	"FNC Triumphs in Baabda-Aley" (August-September 2003)
		Several Qornet Shehwan members attended the speech, including Gabriel Murr, Soueid, Kesrouan MP Mansour Bone, and Jean Aziz, a leading member of the LF.
		It was only after Qornet Shehwan declined to field a candidate that the FNC acted unilaterally.
		The reluctance of many Qornet Shehwan members to endorse a challenger to Helou is largely due to their tacit unwillingness to question the validity of political primogeniture.
	www.meib.org /articles/0308_l2.htm (1891 words)

	Opposition Warns (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Members of the Democratic Gathering expressed their support for Jumblatt as he faces the government's campaign to suppress national figures.
		Also Thursday, the Qornet Shehwan Gathering held a meeting to discuss the opposition's political paper scheduled to be released on Monday.
		The gathering said they had introduced small amendments to the paper, but called on all Lebanese to congregate around the opposition.
	www.neal-us.org /opposition_warns.htm (545 words)

	Interview: Dory Chamoun (November-December 2002)
		The Qornet Shehwan Gathering is the first serious political platform since the Lebanese Front, back in the seventies.
		Its creation was the fruit of many long and exhausting efforts to reunite a society that was shattered and brought to its knees by internal strife and the occupation of Lebanon by more than one foreign army.
		Qornet Shehwan is today the only valid unifying force which is bringing together the Lebanese within Lebanon and in the Diaspora in order to confront the dangers Lebanon is facing.
	www.meib.org /articles/0211_li.htm (1022 words)

	Jumblat Leads New Opposition Group \|\| News \|\| CGGL.org (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		The gathering included Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt's Democratic Gathering and the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, the Democratic Forum, the Democratic Leftist Movement and the Democratic Renewal Movement.
		According to senior FPM member Antoine Nasrallah, who was present at the gathering, the movement has not yet decided whether to join the opposition front, or how it will participate in the next parliamentary elections.
		Qornet Shehwan Gathering member and Batroun MP Butros Harb said: "Thank God that the demand for recovering national sovereignty is no longer monopolized by a category of the Lebanese, it has become the demand of people from various backgrounds and confessions."
	www.cggl.org /scripts/new.asp?id=268 (842 words)

	The Head Heeb: Lebanese politics for beginners, part 4
		One of the first to announce itself was the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, which was created in April 2001 under the patronage of Maronite Patriarch Boutros Sfeir.
		In one of these cases, the Qornet Shehwan-backed candidate was briefly successful in winning his seat, although the constitutional court later took it away on an electoral technicality.
		With his Beirut coalition in hand, he approached Jumblatt and Qornet Shehwan to form the "Bristol Gathering" (named after the Bristol Hotel in Beirut) in preparation for the 2005 election.
	headheeb.blogmosis.com /archives/027832.html (4158 words)

	.:Future Movement - ALMUSTAQBAL:. Lebanon - Sectarianism must go the way of the Syrian Army
		When it was decided the 2005 elections would be conducted under the 2000 election law, Qornet Shehwan doyen Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir declared Muslims must vote for Muslims and Christians for Christians.
		The Gathering wanted the first free elections in 30 years to be held under the 1960-92 election law - the one in place when the Civil War started.
		Espoused principles aside, Qornet Shehwan's two parliamentary allies are political machines long adept at manipulating sectarian-clientalist politics - the very structures Franjieh wants to dismantle.
	www.futuremovement.org /forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=1496 (1153 words)

	Welcome to thisiscyberia.com \| NewsCenter (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Soueid, a member of the Qornet Shehwan Gathering of Christian opposition politicians, believes this new partner can be a “national opposition,” which he said is more capable of supporting Syria in confronting the dangers ahead.
		Soueid called a meeting by Qornet Shehwan next week an “exceptional conclave” which will focus on the need for unity and solidarity between the different Lebanese parties and Syria to confront the coming regional war.
		Soueid ruled out the possibility of seeing any member of Qornet Shehwan appointed to a ministerial position in the event of a Cabinet reshuffle.
	www.thisiscyberia.com /newscenter?ID=1594612&news=1 (719 words)

	Middle East Report Online: Thirteen-Year ItchThe Demise of Lebanon's Taif Agreement?, by Marlin Dick
		Scores of politicians gathered on August 19 to denounce the authorities' behavior, with the audience including Jumblatt, traditional Muslim politicians, leftist groups and representatives of the parliamentary bloc of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
		Echoing Sfeir and the bishops, Qornet Shehwan supported sending the army to the border and having excellent ties with Syria, provided that balance was restored to the relationship.
		The Qornet Shehwan Gathering split their votes, with some backing TV station owner Gabriel Murr, while others supported lawyer-activist Ghassan Mokheiber, nephew of the late MP.
	www.merip.org /mero/mero081302.html (2018 words)

	Al-Ahram Weekly \| Region \| Lebanon at the crossroads (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Not the least of the Lebanese government's troubles is the fact that it faces the wrath of the United Nations over Syria's and Lebanon's decision not to implement a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon and the disarmament of Hizbullah.
		But opposition figures, including Gebran Tueini of the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, said that the "dialogue among the Lebanese is not allowed", and the "unity of the opposition is not allowed", in reference to the unparalleled coordination between various opposition factions united in their rejection of extending Lahoud's mandate and the presence of Syrian troops.
		Among the traditional calls of Qornet Shehwan, supported by Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, is Syria's troops withdrawal.
	weekly.ahram.org.eg /2004/711/re4.htm (1590 words)

	Lebanonwire.com \| Qornet Shehwan takes Hariri to task
		Members of the Qornet Shehwan Gathering on Friday denounced Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s recent statements in which he accused Christians of casting gloom on the economic situation.
		The gathering considered “the closure of numerous institutions and the increase in unemployment from 3.9 percent in 1998 to around 20 percent in 2001”; to be a clear indication of economic problems.
		“The gathering hopes that the economic resolutions issued after a meeting of the (Syrian-Lebanese) Higher Council be embodied in a complete program that would reconsider previous unbalanced agreements and restore equal relations between the two countries,” the statement said.
	www.lebanonwire.com /aa-lebanon/02031609DS.htm (559 words)

	"Under Pressure, Opposition Unity Wavers" (November-December 2002)
		Other members of Qornet Shehwan, such as MP Nassib Lahoud, also called on Moukheiber not to accept the poisoned fruit.
		Days later, he issued a statement calling upon the Qornet Shehwan's nine-member parliamentary bloc to resign their seats in protest.
		The moment of truth came in late October, when Qornet Shehwan joined the FNC in calling for a demonstration against the closure of Murr Television (MTV) in September.
	www.mafhoum.com /press4/122P1.htm (1418 words)

	Al-Ahram Weekly \| Region \| Mounting pressure (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		The Qornet Shehwan Gathering, an umbrella group of Christian legislators and political figures, vowed not to enter a new government if it aims at "containing" the opposition, said MP Fares Saed, a member of the coalition.
		He argued that the authorities are now seeking to include the opposition in a national unity government to "conceal their blunder in extending President Emile Lahoud's mandate", citing heavy UN, US, and European pressure on Damascus to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
		The Gathering was expected to meet Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al- Hariri early this week, but delayed the talks until all its members reach an agreement at a Thursday conclave.
	weekly.ahram.org.eg /2004/710/re6.htm (1088 words)

	Qornet Shehwan - Encyclopedia, History, Geography and Biography (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		Qornet Shehwan - Encyclopedia, History, Geography and Biography
		Apart from its importance as the seat of the Maronite Archbishopric of Al Metn, it was little known to the outside world until the year 2000, when it became the headquarters of the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, a mainly Christian coalition of politicians, intellectuals, and businessmen opposed to the Syrian military occupation of Lebanon.
		Qornet Shehwan and Cities and villages in Lebanon.
	www.arikah.net /encyclopedia/Qornet_Shehwan (122 words)

	Catholic World News : Trying to Shake a Troubled Past
		The Qornet Shehwan Gathering is a diverse group, drawing members from politicians who in the past have represented the extreme right of the political spectrum (including Christian militia leaders from the days of the civil war) as well as the extreme left, and many points in between.
		The Qornet Shehwan Gathering takes its name from the village, about a 30-minute drive from Beirut, where the members meet monthly at the office of Maronite Bishop Youssef Beshara, the group’s moderator.
		As a first step toward reconciliation across religious lines, however, in 2002 Qornet Shehwan organized a visit to the Chouf mountain area, where Christian and Druze militia groups had participated in some of the bloodiest massacres of the civil war period, in 1983.
	www.cwnews.com /news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=34656 (4468 words)

	[No title] (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
		A member of the Christian opposition Qornet Shehwan Gathering, Gabriel Murr, told The Daily Star on Monday that the arrests were a “masquerade” sponsored by the Interior Ministry.
		Qornet Shehwan member Samir Franjieh said the arrest and release of those people was not highly significant, adding that “what is required is to arrest the instigator of this incident, because those people did not act on their own.”
		Gemayel was referring to the last Metn by-election, when the opposition blamed high-ranking police officers, including Saad, for interfering in the course of the elections and exerting pressure on voters for the interests of candidate Mirna Murr, Michel Murr’s daughter.
	www.tayyar.org /files/revuedepresse/GB/0308/030805DailyStar_Opposition_Murr.htm (631 words)

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