{"id":545,"date":"2008-01-10T19:00:15","date_gmt":"2008-01-10T19:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=545"},"modified":"2008-01-10T19:00:15","modified_gmt":"2008-01-10T19:00:15","slug":"who-is-at-fault-in-lebanon-the-blame-game-heats-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/who-is-at-fault-in-lebanon-the-blame-game-heats-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is at Fault in Lebanon? The Blame Game Heats Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to Ibrahim Hamidi in al-Hayat<\/a>, Syria insists that it is playing a positive role with the French in developing "a road map" forward for Lebanon. Foreign Minister Walid Mualem explains that Syria will not sacrifice its national interests for the Arab League meeting scheduled to be held in Damascus this spring. All the same, Mualem pointed out the achievements of the Franco-Syrian dialogue that has been taking place over Lebanon: there has been agreement over who the next president should be, Michel Suleiman; there has also been agreement that a national unity government should be formed and a new election law promulgated.<\/p>\n

French parliamentary delegation<\/a> affirms good relations with Syria despite spat over Lebanon (AP) Sarkozy had said that France wouldn't talk with Syria.<\/p>\n

Hiyam Kossaify<\/a> in the daily an-Nahar expresses a widespread Lebanese conviction that "Syria will never allow the Lebanese presidential issue to be resolved so long as it does not have a firm commitment from France to scrub the international trial on the Hariri assassination."<\/p>\n

Rosana Boumounsef<\/a> of an-Nahar also blames Syria: <\/p>\n

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The French stand, as outlined by President Nicolas Sarkozy from Egypt, named Syria as the side that is blocking the presidential election process, and efforts by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem to put the burden on Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun, were aimed at trying to avoid the isolation that Damascus is suffering from, Boumounsef wrote. <\/p>\n

"The French who had repeatedly threatened to expose the side that is blocking the settlement have … declared the truth, named Syria and the opposition and held Speaker Nabih Berri responsible for the unprecedented closure of Parliament," according to the article. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Mualem insists that Syria cannot resolve the Presidential issue if the Lebanese opposition leaders are unwilling to accept the unity government offered by Hariri and company. The Syrians have been stressing that they do not have communications with General Aoun and cannot influence him. Although they acknowledge close relations with Hizbullah, they also insist they cannot order Hizbullah on such a crucial issue as the make up of a national unity government. Opposition representation in the new government will establish Hizbullah's power until elections are held in 2009. <\/p>\n

Hizbullah maintains that it was stabbed in the back by the March 14th alliance<\/strong> in 2005 and cannot trust it to stick by political understandings – hence it wants a blocking third in the new government. It believes the Lebanese opposition will win the majority in free elections.<\/p>\n

HIzbullah maintains that before the elections of 2005, it agreed with March 14 leaders to support eleven of their candidates in the parliamentary elections in exchange for a promise to support the "resistance," i.e. Hizbullah's right to maintain its militia and arms. What happened? Hariri and Jumblat turned against the resistance and hardly concealed their desire for Israel to wipe out Hizbullah during the summer war of 2006. Hizbullah believes it can take back many of the 11 parliamentary positions from Jumblat and Hariri in the 2009 elections, but in the meantime it wants guarantees that the government will not move against Hizbullah and that it can veto any election law of which it does not approve.<\/p>\n

The devil is in the details of the national unity government. Initially there were reports that the president would be given ten members of the thirty member cabinet to appoint. This caused resistance among both the opposition and parliamentary majority. The opposition has called for each side being allotted a share of cabinet members in proportion to there membership in parliament, but this is not acceptable to March 14 as it would increase the opposition's authority. The March 14th group would like to keep the composition of the cabinet as close to what it is today as possible.<\/p>\n

Hizbullah MP Mohammad Haidar<\/a> said his party was awaiting Moussa's arrival to guarantee that there would be "no winner and no loser" as part of the Arab settlement plan. "We want to make sure that under the proposed formula, no party will be able to impose its decisions in the next government," Haidar said. "If this is the case, then we can have an elected president on Saturday," he added.<\/p>\n

Israel planned 1991 strike on NKorea-Syria ship<\/a><\/p>\n

President Bush signaled<\/a> he would give Israel leeway to continue raids on Palestinian militants and to develop settlements in disputed parts of Jerusalem. (Transcript<\/a>) (WSJ)<\/p>\n

Bush has said Israel must end its occupation<\/a> of some Arab land to enable the creation of a viable Palestinian state. No Golan statement. (BBC)<\/p>\n