BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Protesters gathered Monday at the Beirut site where former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed a week ago to demand Syria leave Lebanon.
Tens of thousands of people wearing red and white scarves, the new symbol of the multi-sectarian opposition, and waiving Lebanese flags descended on the seaside Ein Mreissheh neighborhood and marched to Beirut's downtown area where Hariri was buried.
The marchers led by opposition members of parliament shouted anti-Syria slogans and called on Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud to step down.
Muslims and Christians, who fought each other during 15 years of civil strife that ended in 1990 with the signing of the Taif peace pact, marched side by side, united by their quest for an end to Syria's military presence and political hegemony in Lebanon.
The marchers will submit a petition to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan seeking an international investigation into Hariri's slaying and an end to Syria's presence.
Earlier Monday, opposition members of parliament staged a sit-in to press Speaker Nabih Berri, a pro-Syrian, to hold a special session to discuss Hariri's Feb. 14 assassination.
