Lebanese students stage anti-Syria rally

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BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Supporters of the Lebanese opposition slate rallied Tuesday at a university campus in Beirut calling for the expulsion of the Syrian envoy to Lebanon.

Youth leaders with the opposition March 14 slate staged a protest regarding the security situation in the country. Clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian factions in Tripoli last week sparked concerns the Syrian civil war could spill into Lebanon.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday it was working in Lebanon to help the "tens of thousands of people" seeking refuge from the Syrian conflict.

Simon Dergham, a student leader, told The Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon that protesters were playing a role usually reserved for the country's foreign minister.

"We will also call on all lawmakers, including the March 14 members, to go to the Parliament and cancel the Lebanese-Syrian treaty of cooperation signed in May 20, 1991," he said.

Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansour last week said there was no reason to cut diplomatic ties with Syrian representatives.

Syrian military forces left Lebanon in 2005 following the Cedar Revolution, sparked by the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. His son, Saad, another former prime minister, leads the March 14 coalition.