Lebanon: Hope of Reconciliation Amidst the Gathering Clouds

By Farouq Mawlawi

ccun.org, April 22, 2008
 
 
Lebanon this week observed the tragic memory of the outbreak of the country’s so-called civil war in 1975, which in fact was most uncivil and catastrophic. Several functions and activities marked the occasion in a manner that reflected the frustration and impatience of the country’s silent majority over the continuing political crisis which affects the livelihood of the people and threatens the future of the country.

Forty-three civil society organizations representing a cross section of the population conducted a peace march starting from the spot where thirty-three years ago the tragic storming of a bus carrying innocent Palestinians sparked the war, to Martyrs or Freedom Square in central Beirut.
They carried only Lebanese flags and exhibited banners proclaiming “Our unity is our salvation”. Representatives of various Muslim and Christian sects conducted a prayer for peace and reconciliation, while representatives of all Lebanese television channels stressed the horrors of war and the need to ensure that it will never be repeated.

Last week forty-four Lebanese personalities openly expressed regrets and apology for the horrors of that war in a noble and welcome response to an earlier Palestinian apology delivered on behalf of the Head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas by his representative in Lebanon, Abbas Zaki. Yesterday the Phalange Party held a “truth and reconciliation” gathering at which representatives of political factions and the Palestine Liberation Organization exchanged regrets over the horrors of the past and the imperative of avoiding its repetition.
They called for strengthening Lebanese-Palestinian relations which should be governed by the rule of law, under the sovereignty of the Lebanese State.

These conciliatory gestures are very significant especially as a reminder that there are no winners in war and violence no matter who believes that his side is right. Indeed, the lessons of Lebanon’s tragic fifteen-year war should not be lost on the young generation of Lebanese, many of whom are today lined up behind various parties and leaders with conflicting political agendas that are often determined by outside forces.

Lebanon today is divided into two political camps. On the one hand is the Fourteenth March Coalition or the Loyalists who support the government and enjoy a comfortable parliamentary majority. On the other hand is the Eighth March Coalition which constitutes the Opposition and possesses a stranglehold over the parliament through its speaker. Differences between the two camps created a political stalemate that has nearly paralyzed the country for the past three years. The issues separating the two sides are clearly solvable in a democratic system. But Lebanon’s democracy is compromised by the stress on consensus among the confessional and political factions. As a result, Lebanon remains without a president, a parliament that has not convened for the past two years, and a government that functions at reduced efficiency due to the stifling of the legislative process, not to speak of the hurdles placed in its way by the Opposition.

The government headed by Prime Minister Fuad Al-Saniora was besieged from its early days by several measures intended to bring about its downfall, beginning with the resignation of six  Opposition Ministers, whose resignation was not accepted. This was followed by the occupation of Riad El-Solh Square in Central Beirut, which resulted in the closure of hundreds of businesses in an area that constituted a bloodline for the tourist industry. Added to the political crisis, this illegal action discouraged foreign investment at a time when Lebanon was on the verge of reaping great economic benefits from an unprecedented regional boom. This was crucial, as the country had not yet fully recovered from Israel’s war of aggression in the summer of 2006, which destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure. But the government succeeded in weathering all these storms, benefiting from the confidence of a parliamentary majority, and the unwavering support of the international community.

With all its problems Lebanon enjoys an abundance of goodwill the world over, especially among Arab states and people. No country has commanded the attention and involvement of the United Nations and its Security Council as much as Lebanon in recent years.
France, other European states and the European Union conducted numerous missions to Lebanon and Syria, attempting to assist in resolving the political crisis. Saudi Arabia and Egypt, among other Arab states, as well as the Arab League are constantly seized with Lebanon’s political crisis. The Arab League has produced an initiative that was approved by Lebanon’s opposing camps and endorsed by all Arab states and world powers. It called for the immediate election of the unanimously approved presidential candidate, Army Commander Michel Sulaiman, formation of a unity government, and enacting a new electoral law. Yet, implementation of this initiative remains a subject of debate, ostensibly over the order of implementation, even as the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Mr. Amr Moussa, explains the initiative as calling first for the election of the president who will oversee negotiations for the formation of the unity government. Parliament Speaker Berri’s call for a new round of dialogue between the political factions, while commendable in principle, will only prolong the crisis and weaken the momentum behind the Arab League initiative.
 
The writer is a former senior official of the Arab League and the United Nations
Currently, President of the Lebanon Chapter of the Association of Former International
Civil Servants (AFICS).