BEYROUTH - Lebanon's parliament Thursday approved a two-week state of emergency in Beirut declared after last week's gigantic explosion that gives the army greater powers to suppress resurgent protests.
Dozens of demonstrators shouted as lawmakers arrived at parliament to ratify the emergency measure, but protesters were outnumbered by security forces and failed to block the MPs' cars. The state of emergency formally approved by the parliament allows the army to close down assembly points and prohibit gatherings deemed threats to national security.
The official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorised to speak on the issue, stressed that it would not lead to "a crackdown" on civil freedoms.The massive explosion has renewed calls from Lebanon's international partners for overdue reforms to the political system and to shore up the deeply indebted economy.
Calls had been growing in Lebanon for an international and independent investigation, an option President Michel Aoun has so far ruled out. Aoun and his allies from the Shiite movement Hezbollah have made it clear they saw the international solidarity generated by the port disaster as an opportunity to shake off their quasi-pariah status on the diplomatic scene.
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