IMPLEMENTATION OF SUBSIDY REMOVAL – THE BETTER WAY

I watched the news to see a few Nigerians blindly chanting that the removal of subsidy is for the benefit of Nigerians, all because they wanted to reopen their shops. I laughed. This goes a long way to show our gross disunity. If Egypt and Tunisia got tired of their protests and revolution, would they boast now of having a platform that allows them to choose the government they want?

I am not against the policy as you may have judged from my article, but I strongly hold that there are better ways of implementing it, to make it work in Nigeria. There are however, solid facts that I want you to consider and then judge for yourself if this government can deliver its promises.

I supported President Jonathan – even though my location did not allow me vote – for sentimental reasons and so did the majority of Nigerians; but I still do support him. I was also of the opinion that after former President Obasanjo, Nigeria shouldn’t have another president that was a past military president. But during his campaign I was not comfortable with the amount of money President Jonathan expended, paying artistes, organizing rallies and mobile carnivals. This money was obviously sourced from public funds. As painful as this may sound, President Jonathan has weak links that portray him as corrupt. For instance, members of the houses of assembly resisted vehemently when the CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi presented facts that showed that the cost of running this government was guzzling about 25% of the country’s budget. Nigerians are well aware of the unwarranted multimillions that the presidency, senators, legislators and ministries accrue to themselves as salaries and allowances and how they unjustly devalue the official vehicles assigned to them only to repurchase them at alarming diminished prices. It’s open news now that the president allocates One billion Naira to himself as feeding allowance annually. My calculation shows that if you spend N30, 000.00 per day, it would take you 80 years to expend ALMOST a billion naira; the figure is N876,000,000.00 or N876,600,000.00, considering the leap years. You can do the calculations yourself to confirm.

Within its practical two years of inception, I did not expect this government to transform agriculture or power; these are monumental achievements that take time. However one task that was very feasible was to fight corruption to the letter. If this singular act was achieved, a vote of trust would have been bestowed on this government.

Consider these realities:
PHCN makes profit annually from bills being paid; where does this money go to?
The Water Board also makes money from its services; where is this money being lodged?
Governor Fashola of Lagos has provided satisfactory evidence that government can generate income from tax. The FIRS generates income yearly from taxes; where is this money?
What about the money the Customs make from import duties?
How about the Immigration, FRSC and other government institutions that generate money in various capacities?
Currently as we speak, some elite Nigerians have licences to mine solid minerals in diverse parts of the country; these minerals, like crude, should be the sole property of the federal government.
Nigeria recovered monies from misappropriated funds, to the tone of $380M from the Obasanjo tenure till now; where is the evidence of that money now? These go to show that the government has abundant alternative sources of income without having to touch the subsidy money.

Can this government conveniently prosecute former President Obasanjo and other government officials who committed gross crimes of corruption in the near and distant past? Governments in Nigeria have a very amusing practice of claiming to forgive leaders with glaring corrupt records as recorded by the EFCC, yet most of these individuals like Senators Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and Sani Yerima, both former governors of Kaduna and Zamfara States respectively, still served in government offices, and now walk liberally as free men. Several others like Lucky Igbenedion, Ikedi Ohakim, Orji Uzo Kalu, Peter Odili and many others are still walking freely. This is ridiculous! When God directly governed Israel in the past, evildoers were punished for their crimes. Even though we know God to be merciful, He is also a just God. The United States of America is known to investigate crimes as old as thirty years and over, and prosecute as well as punish the offenders accordingly. Several other countries have this same appropriate practice of adequately punishing criminals. Nigeria callously sweeps these crimes under the carpet and what’s the result – more daredevil criminals emerge, crime prevails and the countries’ economy suffers.

Nigerians are not opposed to the removal of subsidy, but in the manner of its implementation. This government and previous ones before it have always shown grave disregard for the Nigerian people. It was clear that the subsidy removal was still being deliberated on and then a day after the president declares a state of emergency in fifteen Local Government Areas in four states of the federation, an indication that the nation was in a delicate situation, we get the shocking news of the subsidy removal. Many Nigerians still remain stranded in their villages due the consequent transportation price hike; given the economic severity of the month of January in Nigeria, the government only succeeded in replacing one crises – the Boko Haram menace, with another. And while previous governments have failed in their promises, this government has acted very similarly; so how does it expect any trust from Nigerians? If an individual was served a meal of a particular kind of vegetable from two distinct sources at two separate times, and on both occasions this individual ends up severely sick, do you think such a person will ever eat any other kind of green vegetable? Answer is NO. A person like that will in fact, naturally become repulsive to anything green. We have a proverb that a snake will naturally beget something long. The plans for the subsidy money are very juicy and welcome, and in fact portray the expectancy of Nigerians from any government. But the fact that this government possesses traits of failed previous dispensations as well as corrupt members opposed to development who served in previous dispensations, it stands on a knife-edge that makes its plans prone to failure. The NLC and its associates and the Nigerian people are therefore within their rights to demand that the government reverts to N65.00 per litre – the point of deliberations – before they engage in dialogue.

This government did not just discover the corrupt cabals and their activities overnight; it has been aware of them for a considerable period of time. It should therefore have confronted them all along.

Arguments are made that neighbouring Ghana also implemented removal of subsidy without complaints and so questions why Nigerians should. Study the mode of implementation in Ghana. Ghana DID NOT remove subsidy in one blow. The Ghanaian government has been removing its subsidy in installments of 20% over a period of time, using these monies to develop aspects of the economy at a gradual pace. What was removed on 29th December, 2011 was the last installment. So you see that an excellent and very humane approach was employed. The Igbos have a proverb: You first of all chase away the leopard before you begin to remonstrate with the wayward hen for venturing so far into the forest. Another proverb says: You do not get rid of the baby along with the bathe water. In both cases the proverbs indicate that you have an asset in a threatening situation, but you don’t punish your asset in a bid to deal with the threat. In the light of the present crisis, it means that the government cannot punish its asset – the masses, to deal with the crisis – corruption (or the oil cabals).

The Nigerian government should have employed this very same method, while in the process, tackling the activities of the cabals radically; like revoking their importation licence, and rightfully charging them to court on charges of short-changing and exploiting the government as well as other relative crimes. The government can then proceed to engage new interested importers on very strict contract agreements, for instance, a condition that guarantees their balance payments only when the accurate volume of fuel has been ascertained to enter government storage. The government could even create its own importation outfit. Whichever method is employed should be made transparent by involvement of non-governmental institutions like the NLC, TUC, Civil Society, etc, who will help monitor the distribution of these products down to the public. While this is going on, a severe war on corruption should be engaged on corrupt practices in all sectors. If five to ten prominent individuals are investigated, prosecuted and incarcerated within a short period, intending and existing individuals with corrupt intentions would take caution and be kept at bay.

While taking away the subsidy may seem a plausible way of confronting the cabals, I see a gaping loophole. As long as they remain free, these cabals will embark on methods to hijack oil products from within. The subsidy project would therefore have been defeated. The best way to proceed is as described above, similar to what the NLC, TUC and Civil Society are suggesting.

On a final note, I appeal to the government to stop wasting valuable money on television jingles and billboard adverts encouraging Nigerians to be peaceful and law-abiding. While this practice is the norm in Nigeria, I say that it is non-effective. Peace is not something you can cajole a person or people into. Peace is a product; it is the product of Justice. When there is justice, peace follows naturally. The human psyche if unrefined is prone to crime. But when people know that regardless of their status social or otherwise, their crimes under a just society are adequately punished by an unbiased law, the mind starts to work in the opposite – more productive – dimension; which happens to be Peace. We make a lot of reference to America. America did not coax its citizens into accepting peace. She simply enforced a law that works and people began to trust the law and to engage in peaceful living.

NIGERIA - ON THE REMOVAL OF FUEL SUBSIDY

While the Federal Government has made good its decision to withdraw the fuel subsidy, it would be in the best interest of the entire Nigerian populace that the government revisits its decision and make adequate readjustments before the country erupts in utter chaos. Whatever discussions and talks the NLC would be holding with the government, it is paramount to note that taking away one hundred percent of the subsidy is a completely wrong move.

I have listened to several arguments opposing and supporting the removal of the fuel subsidy. It is unfortunate that initially, most people seemed to only see the austere effects of the removal, on the aspect of transportation alone. Nigeria’s dependence on crude oil has led us to a situation that causes us to experience consequential effects whenever there is a change in the prices of petroleum products, particularly Premium Motor Spirit – PMS. By implication, with the removal of the subsidy, every commodity and I repeat, every commodity in every sector would also experience an increase in prices. I’m talking about monumental increases in the costs of living/housing, food, education, health, etc.

The Federal Government claims that it plans to use the money from fuel subsidy for the purpose of industrialization, the absence of which has be cited severally as the bane of Nigeria’s gross unemployment. This decision I am sure would be welcomed by every well-meaning Nigerian. But there is great need for skepticism.

Firstly, what concrete evidence do we have that this money would be used for the purpose for which it was meant? Nigeria has had a nasty history of taking loans from foreign sources, monies that never served the purposes for which they were meant, but ended up in the pockets and accounts of a very greedy few; what will this insensitive individuals not do to siphon this new fund which happens to be OUR OWN money and immune to international scrutiny? Bear in mind that there are Nigerians whose wealth thrive from the dilapidated state that is presently characteristic of Nigeria’s economy; these individuals would do anything and I mean absolutely anything to keep Nigeria the way she is. Hence these people are sure to thwart or sabotage whatever developmental plans the government has or plans to implement. What concrete measures have been put in place to ensure that while the government carries out her developmental schemes, there are also active machineries to investigate and prosecute any singular move or ambition to sabotage government plans? Absolutely Nothing! The EFCC and ICPC have done very little to nothing, partly because Nigerian laws seem to be void over some individuals, while some others deliberately hamper the activities of these anti-graft institutions. We have heard of many highly placed Nigerians involved in acts of corruption; none of them was successfully prosecuted and punished. I could go on and on listing several diverse avenues that the government has failed especially in its bid for nation building, and tackling corruption that hampers it. There is definitely nothing available to serve as guarantee that the fuel subsidy money would serve its purpose. This is not a fairy tale. This is reality and reality goes with facts. WE cannot give this government any benefit of doubt simply because the President’s name is Goodluck (all due respects to Mr. President). We need facts to prove but unfortunately, this government gave none.

As regards facts, you may wonder what example I have. I am of the opinion that rather than withdraw one hundred percent of the subsidy money, the government should have taken at most seventy percent of it and left thirty percent for at least two years to serve as a cushion to insulate the harsh effects that would emanate from the removal. With seventy percent of the subsidy money, the government can start its programmes and whatever positive results are recorded can serve as surety that the government’s plans are genuine and viable.

Also, why does it always have to be the masses bearing the brunt of every austere measure embarked upon by the government? If the Nigerian government needs money I proffer that it can generate so much from cutting by half, the salaries and allowances of political office holders, beginning from the President himself, down to the Councillor. They too should feel the pinch and make sacrifices too. And as the old Nigerian slogan goes: “They shouldn’t worry; they would suffer now and enjoy later.”

In furtherance to this argument, I purport that given the present harsh economic condition of Nigeria it would be absolutely wise that the jobs in both Houses of Parliament, as well as State Houses of Parliament be stripped of their status as permanent appointments. Senators and Legislators should cease to be direct federal government employees. They should be paid just for their sitting allowance and this through their constituencies. Also, these wages should commensurate with the adequate salary grade level of a civil servant. This way, Senators and Legislators would need to have jobs and businesses of their own, where their true income comes from; the parliamentary jobs in Abuja would no longer be their beds of roses. As a result, they would be truly committed to implementing policies since payment of their wages would depend on their performance. If the members of parliament oppose this decision – as likely they would – the president can sponsor the bill for this purpose and call on Nigerians to a referendum in support of the bill and I can guarantee you that all Nigerians would arise in support of the president.

Millions of Nigerian youth sustain themselves and keep out of trouble by engaging in menial and low-paying jobs run by private entrepreneurs. These make up a good percentage of the unemployed youth that over the years, every government has incessantly proclaimed its plans to keep engaged in order to restrain them from crime. The majority of these jobs pay monthly wages within the range of five and eight thousand naira, and this provides the stipends on which the youths finance their basic needs. With this increase, the bulk of their salaries – about seventy percent – would be spent on transportation alone; some may spend virtually their entire earnings on transport. I don’t see anybody keeping a job like that anymore. Then in time, this development would result in an increase of street thugs and hooligans.

The government of President Goodluck Jonathan should be advised to see things and reason in this light and subsequently revisit and readjust the subsidy removal. There is so much at stake especially the stability of Nigeria. Nigerians have been known to gullibly adapt to harsh conditions. But I do not see how anybody would adapt to a condition that takes away your entire salary on transport alone, with very little to feed on, when you still have housing, health bills, utility bills, costs of dependents, etc, to contend with.


PS: As an afterthought, I wonder if the advisers of President Goodluck Jonathan may have been compromised by diabolical oppositions to his government, for them to have proffered a suggestion like this. What is it now with this importation of diesel engine buses? First, inadequacy of funds was cited as one of the reasons for subsidy removal. Then they come and say in response to the protests they want to import buses. Where is the money for the procurement of these buses coming from? This venture will create an avenue for one individual or group of individuals to squander valuable funds in purchasing sub-standard vehicles that will become crises within three months of usage. How many buses does the government intend to buy to satisfy the needs of the entire Nigerian people? Is this government bent on getting everything wrong?

Please, well-meaning Nigerians are saying, “we understand with the subsidy removal but don’t remove everything yet.” Also, readjust the wages of the members of both national and state houses of representatives and the government will realize a copious amount of money at its disposal.

Bin Laden driver sentenced to Five and Half years

CNN

Osama bin Laden's former driver Thursday was sentenced to 66 months in prison following his conviction on charges of providing material support to al Qaeda.

Salim Hamdan, who has been imprisoned at the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay since 2002, has already been credited with five years served.

Hamdan was found guilty Wednesday of receiving weapons training and transporting and delivering arms. A jury of six military officers rejected charges that he conspired with others to carry out al Qaeda attacks.

Earlier Thursday, during his sentencing hearing, Hamdan told a military court that he never suspected bin Laden was a terrorist until after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Prosecutors weren't buying his story and recommended he be sent to prison for 30 years to life.

Hamdan, speaking through a translator, gave the unsworn testimony one day after six officers convicted him of providing material support to al Qaeda but cleared him of terrorism conspiracy charges.

Hamdan tried to make the case to jurors that he was only a lowly driver, and described his relationship with bin Laden as "normal." Watch how Hamdan described bin Laden »

He said he treated bin Laden as an employee would treat a boss and, in turn, bin Laden treated him in a way that took into account his position.

"I respected him, and he respected me," Hamdan said. "I regarded him, and he regarded me."

He was taken into custody in southern Afghanistan in November 2001. Though the car he was driving contained missiles, he has said all along that the car was borrowed and the missiles weren't his. He repeated his assertions Thursday.

He made some of his comments in a closed session, which the government said was necessary in case classified information was raised.

Hamdan testified he had wanted to settle in his native country, Yemen, but after the 2000 attack by an explosives-laden motorboat on the USS Cole in Yemen's Gulf of Aden, which killed 17 American sailors, he and his wife left the country on a pilgrimage.

Hamdan said Yemeni media were blaming the attack on the Israeli Mossad, and he didn't know until later that al Qaeda was behind it.

He also said he was "shocked" to hear that al Qaeda carried out the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

"It was impossible in my mind that Osama bin Laden would be behind it," said Hamdan, who was still working for him at the time.

"My view and my thinking had changed completely. It was a big shock for me when someone had treated you with respect and regard, and then you realize what they were up to," he said.

When the U.S.-led war began in Afghanistan after 9/11 Hamdan said, he took his family to Pakistan for their safety, and he left them to return the borrowed car to its owner.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Hamdan became a member of al Qaeda in 1996 and conspired with the group on terrorist attacks. They alleged that Hamdan overheard conversations about 9/11 and claimed to have other information showing he was part of bin Laden's inner circle.

The defense contended Hamdan was a low-level driver who knew little about the workings of bin Laden's al Qaeda network. They said he worked for wages, not to carry out war against America.

Obama pokes at McCain over tire-pressure issue

By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer

ELKHART, Ind. - Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday taunted Republican presidential rival John McCain for first mocking the idea of keeping tires inflated for energy conservation and then agreeing the practice works.

"It will be interesting to watch this debate between John McCain and John McCain," Obama said as he campaigned in Indiana with Sen. Evan Bayh, widely considered a top-tier candidate for running mate.

When asked about the air-pressure issue during an appearance Tuesday night, McCain said: "I agree with the American Automobile Association. We should all inflate our tires." Obama had noted that keeping tires inflated and cars tuned was endorsed by both NASCAR and AAA and should be part of any comprehensive plan to reduce reliance on imported oil.

However, McCain had spent recent days ridiculing Obama's remarks about tire pressure, telling a motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D.: "My opponent doesn't want to drill, he doesn't want nuclear power, he wants you to inflate your tires." The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, poked fun at the idea, sending reporters tire gauges with "Obama Energy Plan" emblazoned on the side.

The two rivals have been sparring for several days over energy.

Assailing his rival's energy plans, Obama said, "that's a debate I'm happy to have. Because Senator McCain's energy plan reads like an early Christmas list for oil and gas lobbyists. And it's no wonder — because many of his top advisers are former oil and gas lobbyists."

Obama's joint appearance with Bayh led to considerable speculation that Obama might announce a decision about his choice for vice president. But it was not to be.

Bayh said Obama would bring "a breath of fresh air" to the nation's capital. He said McCain "is not a bad man," but that McCain had some bad policies.

Bayh opened his introduction of Obama by saying he had some "good news" to depart. "In five short months, the Bush administration will be done," Bayh said. A McCain victory, he said, would mean "four more years of what we've had."

Bayh, a former two-term governor and son of former Sen. Birch Bayh, is a former supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton, has executive experience and sits on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees. Furthermore, Democrats view Indiana — which has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1964 — as competitive this year.

Obama campaigned in Indiana as his campaign released a new television ad that seeks to link McCain to President Bush and questions whether McCain is the political maverick he claims to be. It shows McCain acknowledging that he agrees with Bush on most issues.

The ad also criticizes McCain on three economic issues of concern to middle-class voters: tax breaks for the wealthy, money for oil companies, and tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas. The ad ends with a smiling McCain and Bush side by side.

McCain's campaign turned out an ad Tuesday in the other direction, suggesting that McCain differs from Bush and the GOP on important issues — without mentioning Bush by name.

In his appearance here, Obama also questioned McCain's claim to being a maverick.

While the Arizona senator has broken with his party on many issues in the past, he "reversed himself on position after position" to secure his party's nomination, Obama asserted.

"That doesn't meet my definition of a maverick."

McCain's campaign "ran an ad saying Washington is broken. No kidding. It took him 26 years to figure it out," Obama said.

All ministers to give up pay rises

The Press Association

All Government ministers are to forgo their pay rises for 2008/9 to reflect the importance of public sector wage restraint at a time of economic uncertainty.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown rejected a recommendation from a review into Westminster pay that would have seen MPs receive an additional £650 "catch-up" payment on top of their annual pay rises for each of the next three years.

Ahead of a vote on MPs salaries in the Commons on July 3, he also rejected a proposal from Sir John Baker's review that their pay should be linked to the three-month average public sector earnings index, and said that they should instead rise in line with the mid-point of a basket of public sector settlements.

With some settlements yet to be negotiated, it is not clear exactly what rise this would produce for MPs in 2008/09, but it is thought likely to be in the order of 2%.

Mr Brown accepted recommendations from the Senior Salaries Review Body for pay rises next year of 1.5% for senior civil servants, 2.2% for senior military officers and very senior NHS managers, and slightly over 2.5% for judges.

Mr Brown's spokesman said that the decision to give up ministerial pay rises for one year was made by the Prime Minister at their Cabinet meeting and agreed by all those round the table.

Secretaries of State approved the decision on behalf of their departmental ministers, who will also be affected.

Ministers' pay is normally linked to the rise in average increases in senior civil service salaries. A 1.5% rise next year would have meant approximately £1,900 more for Mr Brown, £1,200 for Cabinet ministers and £500-£600 for lower-ranking ministers.

The pay restraint applies only to the portion of salaries related to their ministerial jobs.

They will receive the same rise as other MPs in their £61,181 salary for being a constituency MP.

Myanmar grants access to one U.S. aid shipment

By FOSTER KLUG, Associated Press Writer

The governing military junta in Myanmar has agreed to allow a single U.S. cargo aircraft to bring in relief supplies for victims of a devastating cyclone, the Bush administration said Friday.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the United States welcomed the go-ahead to land a U.S. military C-130 in the country on Monday. He said he hopes this is the beginning of continued aid flowing into Myanmar from the United States, other nations and international relief agencies.

Earlier Friday, Ky Luu, director of the U.S. office of foreign disaster assistance, had said that skilled aid workers were being forced to sit on the sidelines as victims of last week's cyclone were dying. His comments reflect mounting frustration among the United States and other countries as they wait for permission from the military-led government to begin trying to help.

Said Johndroe: "We will continue to work with the government of Burma to allow other assistance. We hope that this is the beginning of a long line of assistance from the United States to Burma." Myanmar is also known as Burma.

Johndroe also said that while the U.S. still has limited leeway to help, "One flight is much better than no flights."

"They're going to need our help for a long time," Johndroe said. He spoke in Crawford, Texas, where President Bush's daughter, Jenna, will be wed on Saturday.

The breakthrough came after days of waiting on the U.S. side. It is not yet known what supplies will be included. U.S. aircraft have been positioned in Thailand and elsewhere nearby waiting for permission to transport supplies to the cyclone-devastated country.

The U.S. military has C-130 cargo aircraft and about a dozen helicopters in the region, ready to fly supplies into Myanmar. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Friday that the aircraft could reach Myanmar in a few hours.

In addition, U.S. Navy ships have begun moving from the Gulf of Thailand toward Myanmar to be available if needed.

Johndroe said he could not speak to one specific cause for the breakthrough, but added: "Clearly the junta has determined that the magnitude of this disaster requires additional assistance."

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. The current junta came to power after snuffing out a 1988 pro-democracy movement against the previous military dictatorship, killing at least 3,000 people in the process. The junta also violently crushed protests last year.

Luu had urged the generals to allow access to foreign aid teams, including a group of U.S. specialists waiting in Thailand; he said desperately needed supplies are piling up on airport tarmacs.

"This is a very vulnerable population, and a shock of this magnitude is going to take people right off the cliff," Luu told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a foreign affairs think tank in Washington.

He said the message to the junta is clear: If it allows U.S. officials in, "we will be able to make a difference."

"People are dying, and it's approaching a week," he said.

Myanmar's ruling military junta earlier seized two planeloads of critical aid sent by the U.N. The U.N. food program suspended help after the action, but later said it is sending two planes to Myanmar to help hungry and homeless survivors.

Officials have said that up to 1.9 million people are homeless, injured or threatened by disease and hunger, and only one out of 10 have received some kind of aid in the six days since the cyclone hit.

Tony Banbury, Asia director for the U.N. World Food Program, said by satellite from Thailand that the "big issue" is: What are the Myanmar authorities going to do? The WFP, he said, will keep working, but "I don't think we have much leverage with the authorities."

"Our hands are getting more and more tied," he said. "The situation is obviously desperate."

Sein Win, an exiled leader of Myanmar's opposition, said in an interview that the United States and other nations must more strongly pressure China, which is seen as having significant economic and political influence with Myanmar's generals.

"The world is not telling China to do what they should do ... to save people," Win said. He added that China has leverage over Myanmar, and said "the question is whether they are going to use it or not."

Hezbollah gunmen seize control of Beirut neighborhoods

By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer

Shiite Hezbollah gunmen seized control of key parts of Beirut from Sunnis loyal to the U.S.-backed government Friday, a dramatic show-of-force certain to strengthen the Iranian-allied group's hand as it fights for dominance in Lebanon's political deadlock.

An ally of Hezbollah said the group intended to pull back, at least partially, from the areas its gunmen occupied overnight and Friday morning — signaling Hezbollah likely does not intend a full-scale, permanent takeover of Sunni Muslim parts of Beirut, similar to the Hamas takeover of Gaza a year ago.

The clashes eased by Friday evening as Lebanon's army began peacefully moving into some areas where Hezbollah gunmen had a presence.

But as Hezbollah gunmen celebrated in the capital's empty streets — including marching down Hamra Street, one of its glitziest shopping lanes — it was clear that the show-of-force would have wide implications for Lebanon and the entire Mideast.

Lebanon's army largely stood aside as the Shiite militiamen scattered their opponents and occupied large swaths of the capital's Muslim sector early Friday — a sign of how tricky Lebanon's politics have become.

In one instance, the army stood aside as Shiite militiamen burned the building of the newspaper of their main Sunni rival — acting only to evacuate people and then allow firefighters later to put out the blaze.

The army has pledged to keep the peace but not take sides in the long political deadlock — which pits Shiite Hezbollah and a handful of allies including some Christian groups, against the U.S.-backed government, which includes Christian and Sunni Muslims.

Three days of street battles and gunfights capped by Friday's Hezbollah move have killed at least 14 people and wounded 20 — the country's worst sectarian fighting since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Three more people were killed in two separate incidents on Friday after the Hezbollah takeover. Two of them were Druse allies of Hezbollah who died in a shooting in a hilly suburb southeast of the capital late Friday, security officials said.

For Beirut residents and those across the Mideast, it was a grim reminder of that troubled time when Beirut was carved into enclaves ruled by rival factions and car bombs and snipers devastated the capital.

The takeover by the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah was a blow to U.S. policy as President Bush's administration has been a staunch supporter of the government in Beirut over the last three years.

"We are very troubled by the recent actions of Hezbollah," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Friday.

"We urge Hezbollah to stop their attempt to defy the lawful decisions taken by the democratically elected Lebanese government. We also urge Iran and Syria to stop their support of Hezbollah and its destabilizing effects on Lebanon," he added.

The fighting also was certain to have implications for the entire Middle East at a time when Sunni-Shiite tensions are high. The tensions are fueled in part by the rivalry between predominantly Shiite Iran, which sponsors Hezbollah, and Sunni Arab powers in the region such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The leaders of Qatar and Syria held talks on Lebanon in Damascus, which wields influence with Hezbollah and has close relations with Iran. Syria's official news agency said the two sides agreed the conflict in Lebanon was an internal affair and expressed hope the feuding parties would find a solution through dialogue.

About 100 Shiite Hezbollah militants wearing matching camouflage uniforms and carrying assault rifles marched down Hamra Street, a normally vibrant commercial strip in a mainly Sunni area of Beirut. They took up positions in corners and sidewalks and stopped the few cars braving the empty streets to search their trunks.

On nearby streets, dozens of fighters from another Hezbollah-allied party appeared, some wearing masks and carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

The Hezbollah takeover was peaceful in some neighborhoods as the militants fanned out across the Muslim sector of the city.

Later in the day, Lebanese troops began taking up positions in some Sunni neighborhoods abandoned by the pro-government groups, but did not intervene in the clashes, which had largely tapered off into sporadic gunfire by early afternoon. Some of the gunfire was celebratory in the air by the militants.

A senior security official said the army began deploying on some streets with the end of the clashes and would soon take over the Sunnis' last stronghold of Tarik Jadideh. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

In some cases Hezbollah handed over newly won positions to Lebanese troops, presumably after having made clear to everyone its strength ahead of the next round of negotiations with opponents over the country's political future.

Hezbollah's power was demonstrated dramatically Friday morning when it forced the TV station affiliated to the party of Lebanon's top Sunni lawmaker, Saad Hariri, off the air. Gunmen also set the offices of the party's newspaper, Al-Mustaqbal, on fire in the coastal neighborhood of Ramlet el-Bayda.

Later in the afternoon, anti-government gunmen loyal to a pro-Syrian group attacked and set on fire a two-story building where Hariri's Future TV have their archives. The building, in the western neighborhood of Rawche, is about 100 yards from the Saudi embassy.

With top leaders Hariri of the Sunnis and Druse leader Walid Jumblatt besieged in their residences in Muslim western Beirut, officials of the pro-government majority held an emergency meeting in a mountain town in the Christian heartland northeast of Beirut

After the meeting, they issued a statement calling on the army to take control of the streets and urging Arab and international intervention to pressure the countries that support Hezbollah — meaning Iran and Syria.

"The bloody coup d'etat aims at returning Syria to Lebanon and placing Iran on the Mediterranean," said the statement read by Christian pro-government leader Samir Geagea. "Violence will not terrorize us, but it will increase our resolve," he said.

He said the Hezbollah takeover violated the constitution which governs Christian-Muslim coexistence in Lebanon.

Late Friday, a group of gunmen fired about a dozen bullets at a statue of Rafik Hariri next to the seafront road where he was killed in a massive 2005 truck bombing. The statue was raised in February on the anniversary of the assassination.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and several ministers were holed up in Saniora's downtown office surrounded by troops and police.

An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo to discuss the crisis will be held in two days, said Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki.

The unrest has virtually shut down Lebanon's international airport and barricades closed major highways. The seaport also was closed, leaving one land route to Syria as Lebanon's only link to the outside world.