There are two noteable articles on Lebanonwire that I noticed. The first is that Chirac is being accused of aiding the opposition.

BEIRUT, Feb 19 (AFP) – Lebanese Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mrad accused French President Jacques Chirac Saturday of encouraging the opposition during a visit to pay condolences after the assassination of former premier Rafiq Hariri.

“When President Jacques Chirac came to Lebanon, he ignored completely the government, the president of the republic and everybody,” Mrad told state Tele-Liban television.

“Then he came to accuse, help the opposition to escalate and encourage the opposition to escalate,” he said.
Chirac demanded Wednesday that “light be shed” in the murder of his friend Hariri before paying his respects at the graveside.

“The heinous crime, which seems to be from another era, which Rafiq Hariri was a victim of, has triggered the horror and consternation of the entire international community which now demands that light be shed in this undescribable and abominable act,” Chirac said.

Hariri was killed in a massive bomb blast in Beirut on Monday and France has called for an international inquiry.

Chirac said Hariri’s death “is a huge loss for Lebanon and the world”.

“Rafiq Hariri held up the banner of democracy and freedom and pushed for the country’s sovereignty and independence. I can testify to that,” Chirac added.

And on another strange note, even Syrians want their army to leave Lebanon.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The barrage of criticism aimed at Syria after the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has some Syrians saying it’s time to withdraw the 15,000 troops their country has in Lebanon.

This is not yet the opinion of the Syrian government, which has spent the week denying responsibility for Monday’s assassination and reaffirming its close ties to Lebanon. But some here feel the Syrian presence in Lebanon has become too troublesome.

“Syria should withdraw its army and intelligence agents from Lebanon immediately, today rather than tomorrow,” said Michel Kilo, a prominent Syrian writer.

Their presence is a threat to Syria itself, Kilo warned. “The Syrian people and the Syrian government are the ones suffering as a result.”

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Hariri died Monday in a bomb blast that destroyed his convoy of bulletproof cars and killed 16 other people in downtown Beirut. Many Lebanese blamed Syria, and the Lebanese government that it backs – a view shared by the Bush administration.

More than 200,000 people marched in Hariri’s funeral procession on Wednesday, chanting slogans like “Syria Out.” In an unprecedented step, Lebanese opposition leaders from across the board issued a statement holding Syria at least indirectly responsible for his death. Druse leader Walid Jumblatt went further, saying the bomb was the work of Syrian and Lebanese intelligence.

Many Syrians reject that possibility.

“We have nothing to do with what happened in Lebanon, and I am confident of that,” said a Syrian engineer, Toufic Razzouk. “But I am for the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon.”