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Revision as of 10:22, 23 March 2005
Nabih Berri (born January 28, 1938) is the speaker of Lebanon's parliament and a leader of the Shiite people in Lebanon.
He was born in Sierra Leone to Lebanese parents. He went to school in Tibnin in southern Lebanon. He later studied at Makassed and the Ecole de la Saesse in Beirut. He obtained a law degree from the Lebanese University, where he served as the student body president. During the 1960's, he joined the Arab Nationalist Movement.
In the early 1970's he worked in Beirut as a lawyer for General Motors. He also lived in the Detroit-area from 1976 to 1978.
He held a series of positions in the Amal movement during the 1970's. This culminated in his assumption of full control in April 1980. He led the Amal movement during the fierce fighting of Lebanon's civil war. He was a key player in the negotiated release of the hostages following the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.
Berri was elected Speaker of the Lebanese parliament on November 20, 1992. The position of Speaker is reserved, according to the constitution, for a Shiite. This is the highest governmental position a Shiite can obtain. The November 1992 election was widely boycotted by the Lebanese population. He is viewed by some to be a puppet of the Syrian government.