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By Alaa Shahine
Beirut - Lebanon apologised to Denmark on Monday for the burning of its consulate during a protest over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, and some Lebanese politicians accused Syria of using the furore to stir sectarian tension.
Sunday's riot in Beirut and similar attacks on Danish and Norwegian missions in Damascus were among the worst seen in a worldwide Muslim uproar over the cartoons, first published in a Danish newspaper and reprinted in some other European papers.
"The cabinet denounces the riots and the targeting of the Danish Embassy which harms the image of a civilised Lebanon," the government said in a statement after a late-night emergency meeting. "(We) present our apology to the state of Denmark."
 
| 'The cabinet denounces the riots' |
Lebanese Christians also expressed anger over the riots by Muslim protesters in the Christian Ashrafiyeh district, during which a church, cars and shops were also vandalised.
Several Lebanese politicians, including Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and Christian leader Samir Geagea, blamed the rioting on pro-Syrian saboteurs they said had infiltrated the protest.
Security sources said more than 300 people had now been arrested, more than half of them Syrians and Palestinians.
"The Syrians are trying to say that the Lebanese are not capable of ruling themselves," Geagea said.
Syria ended three decades of military presence in Lebanon in April after an international and Lebanese outcry over the February 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
| The riots have inflamed sectarian tensions |
Many Lebanese blame Damascus for the bomb that killed Hariri and later blasts and assassinations. Damascus denies any role.
Interior Minister Hassan al-Sabaa resigned hours after Sunday's rioting. The government, dominated by ministers from an anti-Syrian coalition, ordered a full investigation, but stopped short of openly accusing Damascus of having a hand in it.
Angry Christians said the riots inflamed sectarian tensions and rekindled memories of the country's 1975 to 1990 civil war.
"Those who did this were not defending Prophet Mohammad. They don't care about Prophet Mohammad or Jesus Christ," George Zaytouneh, 58, said near the charred consulate building.
Avdes Kazazian, a 45-year-old driver, said the destruction brought back unwanted civil war memories. "I am afraid tension between Muslims and Christians may escalate. It looks like things are heading in this direction," he added.
Security forces used tear gas and water cannons on Sunday to try to disperse about 20 000 demonstrators, who in turn damaged police and army vehicles and three fire engines.
One protester died after jumping from the third floor of the blazing consulate building. Police said 33 people, including 21 security men, were wounded.
Danish consulate staff had left Lebanon a day earlier.
Scores of Danes and Norwegians left Damascus on Sunday in response from a request from their governments. In Lebanon there appeared to be little response to a similar request from Copenhagen. It was not clear how many Danes live in Lebanon.
Lebanese Muslim and Christian politicians and religious leaders urged restraint. Muslim leaders condemned the stoning of the church. Newspapers also sought to calm sectarian tension.
"The Lebanese nation defeats strife in Ashrafiyeh," read the front-page headline of the As-Safir daily.
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