This is an old revision of this page, as edited by D6 (talk | contribs) at 15:43, 17 October 2004 (adding Category:1938 births , see WP:People by year). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 15:43, 17 October 2004 by D6 (talk | contribs) (adding Category:1938 births , see WP:People by year)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)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.