Thousands in anti-US protest near US embassy

(30 Mar 2005) SHOTLIST 1. Wide shot demonstrators and security forces 2. Demonstrators holding Bush drawing 3. Lebanese army soldiers 4. Demonstrators with Lebanese flags 5. Slogans in Arabic 'Death to US, death to Israel' 6. Demonstrators holding banner ''Zionists govern the US'' 7. Lebanese flags 8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hassan Nassar, protester: ''We are protesting here outside the US embassy to tell the US that we do not want any intervention. We can deal with our problems.'' 9. Wide shot demonstrators 10. Banner showing a boot over UN Security Council Resolution 1559 and Bush portrait 11. Lebanese army soldiers 12. Protesters with drum 13. Wide shot protesters 14. Lebanese army STORYLINE Hundreds of people protested near the US embassy in Beirut on Wednesday, calling on Washington to stay out of Lebanese affairs - a reference to President George W. Bush's push for Syria to withdraw all its troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon. Police and troops blocked the road leading to the embassy in the northern neighbourhood of Aukar as protesters, many of them from the militant pro-Iranian Hezbollah group, gathered to denounce the United States. Banners proclaimed, 'Death to US, death to Israel" and "Zionists govern the US" The pro-government and pro-Syrian camp have accused Washington of siding with the opposition and leading the campaign to force the Syrian army out of Lebanon. Washington and the United Nations have stepped up demands that Damascus withdraw its forces in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1559 passed in September. As the protesters took to the streets on Wednesday, Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Omar Karami postponed a widely anticipated announcement on abandoning his bid to form a new cabinet, saying he would quit after consultations with his political allies. Karami's announcement came a day after Syria promised for the first time to withdraw its troops completely before Lebanon's general elections, which are due to begin late next month. The anti-Syrian opposition has accused the authorities of stalling, saying they want neither a new cabinet nor parliamentary elections. Elections must be held before the May 31 expiry of the current legislature's mandate and the opposition - which is expected to win them - is eager to see them held on time. Lebanon has been in political crisis since the February 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. His death in a bomb blast - which the opposition blamed on Syria and its allies in Lebanon - prompted giant street protests that forced the government at the time, led by Karami, to resign on February 28. Syria and the Lebanese government have denied any role in the killing. In a slap to the opposition, the pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud brought back Karami to form a new government on March 10. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...