Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Damascus holds its ground

Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Damascus holds its ground: "For their part, Syrians, greatly annoyed by anti- Syrian sentiment in Lebanon, responded with patriotism. As Syrian troops start to leave Lebanon so will Syrian money from Lebanese banks, which, according to Damascus Chamber of Commerce President Rateb Al-Shallah, amounts to $10 billion. Already Syrians have largely stopped going to Lebanon, where they would usually spend weekends at restaurants, hotels, boutiques and nightclubs. "