1.
L.V.Int. Opposition Leaders in meeting room.


2.
S.C.U. Saeb Salam in shirt talking to Rashid Karami (Leader of the Opposition for Tripoli.) with moustache, and Abdullah Mashung wearing grey suit.


3.
C.U. Abdullah Mashung.


4.
C.U. Saeb Salam.


5.
L.V. Opposition Members.


6.
S.V. Armed guard at window.


7.
C.U. Ditto- he points rifle out of window as Karami leaves


8.
S.V.Ext. Rashid Karami leaving building.


9.
S.C.U. Armed guards at entrance of building.




Initials S-D A.W./P.B.



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: As conflicting reports emanate from the Lebanon concerning the success or failure of the opposition party's attempt to overthrow the Chamoun Government, the leaders of the uprising met recently to discuss the possibility of solving the two week old crisis.

On May 20th. the Opposition leader of the Tripoli area, who is also a Deputy for Tripoli in the Parliament, Rashid Karami, arrived at Saeb Salam's residence in Beirut with other members of the revolutionary movement. Saeb Salam, who is the leader of the Opposition Party in Parliament, was filmed by our camera-man, Sepp Riff, after a cloak-and dagger type journey in a taxi, following members of Salam's party who took him to their leader's residence in the moslem section of Beirut, which has been barracade off by the rebels.

These disturbances in the Lebanon were sparked off by the assasination of the editor of an Opposition Party newspaper two and half weeks ago. Now what started as a demonstration at this editor's funeral has developed into a full scale war between Government troops and rebel volunteers, with Syria sending men and materials to assist the rebels.

Government sources state that the situation is gradually coming into hand, while the Salam 'forces' are optimist about their chances of forcing the President, M.Chamaoun, to quit office.

It is difficult to realize that not more than three weeks ago the King of Greece and his family were on a state visit to the country, and now it is unsafe to walk in the streets without a bullet-proof vest or a sub-machine gun.