LEBANON: Lebanon's anti-Syrian ruling coalition called for a massive turnout at today's public funeral of assassinated Christian government minister Pierre Gemayel.
The call came as politicians warned that other lawmakers and cabinet members could be targeted in a new wave of killing.
Blaming Damascus for the shooting on Tuesday of Mr Gemayel (34), anti-Syrian leaders in Beirut yesterday appeared determined to turn the tragedy into new political momentum in their stand-off with pro-Syrian forces.
Late on Tuesday the UN Security Council formally endorsed plans for an international tribunal that would prosecute those accused of involvement in previous assassinations in Lebanon. It still has to be agreed by the Lebanese government and parliament but anti-Syrian leaders in Beirut hope the tribunal can strengthen their position.
As a dark mood prevailed in a country that has just emerged from war with Israel, celebrations of independence day were cancelled and security forces deployed in Christian areas amid fears of civil unrest.
The assassination of Mr Gemayel was the sixth and most brazen killing of anti-Syrian figures over the past two years.
It came at a time of deepening political struggle between the pro-western anti-Syrian coalition dominating the government and Hizbollah, the Shia group backed by Iran and Syria.
After the killing of Rafiq Hariri, the former prime minister, in February 2005, the "March 14" anti-Syrian forces came together and led street demonstrations that helped oust Syrian troops from Lebanon, ending 29 years of control.
Celebrated by Washington as the "Cedar Revolution", last year's protests propelled the anti-Syrian coalition to power through elections and led to a UN investigation into the Hariri murder. Its early reports have implicated Syrian and former Lebanese officials.
The Hariri killing and subsequent murders deepened Syria's international isolation. Damascus denies involvement in all the assassinations.
In recent months, however, western leaders have been alarmed as the March 14 group was put on the defensive and the government's survival appeared threatened.
The US in particular has looked at Lebanon as a stage where its own disputes with Iran and Syria are played out. But western governments also worry about the fate of thousands of UN peacekeepers deployed in south Lebanon by the ceasefire resolution that ended the summer war, if the pro-western government in Beirut collapses.
Buoyed by its ability to defeat Israeli designs to crush it, Hizbollah recently launched a political offensive against the pro-western majority leading the government. Shia ministers have quit the cabinet and Hizbollah has demanded that the group and its allies be given a blocking minority in the government.
It has also threatened to take to the streets to press for new elections or bring the government down.