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7/25/06

SeattlePI: Sectarian divisions deepening in Lebanon - by Hamza Hendawi

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Sectarian divisions deepening in Lebanon - by Hamza Hendawi

Lebanon -- The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has deepened Lebanon's sectarian divisions, threatening to shatter the fragile peace in a country still haunted by civil war. Hezbollah's opponents widely blame the Shiite guerrilla group for dragging Lebanon into a ruinous war with its July 12 capture of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid. In the future they are sure to be more aggressive dealing with a group that has been nearly autonomous in southern Lebanon.

But the latest hostilities have brought to forefront the question of disarming Hezbollah, an explosive problem that could not be resolved in months of talks among Lebanese politicians this year. "What comes after the war will be more dangerous than the war itself," said Rafik Khoury, co-editor-in-chief of Al-Anwar daily. "Certainly, there are fears of another civil war, but the conditions conducive for such a war don't exist now."

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