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TV Carnival troupe on open trucks passing along Hamra Street in Beirut with crowds watching (2 shots)
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TV Procession passing around crowded corner
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CU ZOOM OUT (NIGHT SHOT) girl watching from man's shoulders
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GV Procession down road with crowd milling around
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CU Musicians and dancers passing through streets (2 shots)
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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Lebanon's alliance of right-wing parties has urged the government to ask the Arab League for help in ending what it called "the illegal Palestinian presence in Lebanon." Many of the disagreements between the rightists and Palestinian groups have remained unresolved in recent the months and there have been sporadic outbreaks of violence between the two sides. But on Friday (27 May), people living in Beirut tried to forget the country's troubles when a Brazilian carnival troupe arrived to parade through the streets.

SYNOPSIS: The troupe -- known as Brazil Tropical -- passed along Beirut's Hamra Street on the back of trucks. Their visit was sponsored by the various Lebanese tourist organisations. Dancers and singers, dressed in multi-coloured exotic costumes, had the crowd dancing with the rhythm of the "tropicana" music. It wasn't long before the excited audience broke through a line of stewards to join in with the troupe.

It took about one hour for the troupe to pass down Hamra Street. Beirut's centre looked more like Rio de Janeiro at Carnival time than a city that was the focal point for much on Lebanon's 19-month civil war.

But the carnival atmosphere was set against the background of the country's continued political unrest. The right-wing attack on the Palestinians was a severe blow to hopes for a long-term peace.

The Lebanese Front -- the umbrella organisation for the country's rightist groups -- issued a statement on Friday (27 May) declaring the 1969 Cairo Agreement nul and void. It was that agreement which regulated the presence of armed commandos in Lebanon. The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) described the rightists' statement as a "declaration of fascist war". The past few days have seen a resurgence of fighting in Lebanon's south between right-wing forces and those of the left-Palestinian alliance. But for a short while at least, the country's capital forget its troubles and just enjoyed the music.