When hostilities broke out in Beirut in mid-May, Sarkozy issued a statement calling for dialogue in Lebanon and avoided any condemnation of either Hezbollah or Syria.
At Ba'abda Palace, the French president met with 87 guests - senior Lebanese politicians including Hassan Nasrallah's envoy Mohammad Raad - and talked to them about reconciliation.
His predecessor, Jacques Chirac had sidestepped Hezbollah since 2005. Putting on a brave face before Sarkozy, they all smiled to the cameras and shook hands.
Notable among the handshakes were those of Raad with Walid Junblatt, Marwan Hamadeh and Samir Geagea, three anti-Hezbollah statesmen from the March 14 Coalition.
Earlier in 2007, France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner advised Sarkozy that no deal could be struck on Lebanon without the involvement of Syria and Iran. The French have since taken several initiatives and the anti-Syrian tone has noticeably been silenced in Beirut.
When recently asked if he would visit Syria, Sa'ad Hariri noted, "That is up to the president (Suleiman) to decide". He did not say, "No". The Syrians have already invited Suleiman to visit Damascus, yet denied all reports that Bashar was planning to visit Beirut this June.
Speaking to a Kuwaiti newspaper, the Syrian president said, "It is untrue that we do not recognise the sovereignty of Lebanon and the story of half-men (a name he called all those who had opposed Hezbollah in 2006) has become something of the past."
He then dismissed media speculation that Syria was about to name Saudi suspects in the assassination of Hezbollah commander Emad Mughneiya who was killed in Damascus last February, saying: "We have no evidence implicating any Arab state in the assassination of Emad Mughneiya!"
While visiting the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, he was asked whether he planned to visit Riyadh and he replied affirmatively, saying that there was no reason for him not to open a Syrian embassy in Beirut.
The Qataris are preparing for a mini-summit in Doha, a reconciliation conference to bring Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt together and end the tension between them, resulting from polarised stands on Lebanon. |
Common ground Once again, it is clear that France and the United States, which found certain common ground in an anti-Syrian policy in 2005-2007, do not have an identical agenda for the Middle East. Syria has also stressed that it will soon be appointing an ambassador to Paris, a post that has been vacant since 2006.
Meanwhile, former Syrian Ambassador to France, Siba Nasser, will be decorated by the French ambassador to Syria in mid-June in recognition for her services to strengthening bilateral ties - another step forward in Franco-Syrian relations.
A Syrian source added, "It is also not unlikely that we resume (with the French) talks over the Syria-EU Partnership Agreement, while France chairs the EU as of next month."
The partnership agreement was preliminarily signed between both parties in 2004, then ratified by the EU parliament, but then called off after the assassination of Hariri in 2005, under pressure from Paris and the United States.
At first glance, the US seems to have digested the fact that it had it all wrong in Lebanon and was about to throw in the towel, telling Iran and Syria that they know more about Lebanon than Washington.
A closer look, however, shows that the Doha Agreement, which led to the Franco-Syrian rapprochement, is far from being implemented and has certain points to it that are not-so-favourable to Hezbollah. The Americans, who were not involved in its creation, will not let it pass so easily.
First, it does not refer to the armed group as a "resistance" but rather, as a "military group".
Second, all parties involved are not cooperating properly for the creation of a Cabinet, given the disagreements over the sharing of the various portfolios.
Third, reports in Beirut speak of pressure being applied by the US for Suleiman to appoint a Maronite who is pro-March 14, as director of general security, in addition to the jobs of army commander, and director of military intelligence, something that might upset the Shiites.
For their part, the Shiites have called, through Abdul Amir Qabalan, the Deputy Chairman of the Higher Shiite Council, a new post, being Vice-President of the Republic. This position is new to the confessional system of Lebanon and has never existed since the modern state was created in 1920.
Finally, there is now talk of a Cabinet vacuum in Lebanon, which might last for weeks, and a slogan is being raised saying, "Security first!" Last week, a young man loyal to Hariri was shot in Bir Hassan, causing outrage within March 14.
Hariri's media claimed that he was attacked by men in uniform of parliamentary police - the armed men of Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri.
The Hezbollah-led opposition is denying these reports, saying that March 14 is magnifying security breaches in Beirut as an excuse for not implementing the resolutions of the Doha Agreement.
One political cartoon in Beirut showed Adolf Hitler telling Winston Churchill, "If we had Shaikh Hamad during our times, we would not have gone to war, nor would we have burned the world!"
The cartoon - an exaggeration no doubt - nevertheless reflects how desperate the Lebanese were for a saviour, which they thought they had found in the Emir of Qatar. The Emir did his part brilliantly - the party-poopers are the Lebanese themselves, and perhaps, the Americans as well.
* Published in the UAE's GULF NEWS on June 9, 2008. Dr Sami Moubayed is a Syrian political analyst. |
