Damascus, Beirut give each other hope

Subscribe
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Maria Appakova) - Lebanon and Syria have for the first time in history agreed to establish diplomatic relations and to begin demarcation of the border between them.

This announcement was made during the Lebanese president's visit to Damascus, the first one in three years. The decision made by the two countries is expected to alleviate the threat of a civil war in Lebanon and to lift international isolation of Syria.

The picture would be truly idyllic if it were not for a bomb that exploded a short distance from the Syrian border, in Tripoli, killing 19 soldiers and civilians, hours before Lebanese President Michel Suleiman flew to Damascus.

Did the terrorists choose this time for their attack by pure chance? Observers view the Tripoli explosion as the Fatah al-Islam terrorists' revenge for last year's defeat at the Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

It was for the first time in years that the Lebanese army led by General Michel Suleiman acted as effectively as that. However, the terrorists were not thwarted entirely, as is often the case. Later they were suspected of orchestrating a series of attacks that killed General Franñois al-Hajj and a high-ranking intelligence officer.

Michel Suleiman could be their next target - if not his life, then his reputation as a politician and a military leader. Not only is the future of the new Lebanese president in jeopardy, but also the future of the country which can turn into another Iraq or Afghanistan any moment.

It won't even take much effort to do it. It would be enough to plunge Lebanon into another civil war; and for that, the terrorists will use any means to prevent stabilization between Beirut and Damascus.

Syria has never viewed Lebanon as an independent state and made no attempt to establish diplomatic rapport with its neighbor, probably thinking that fraternal peoples like the two of them didn't need any formalities.

However, the relations between the two countries were far from brotherly. Starting from the mid-1970s, Syrians have taken part in the Lebanese civil war, consequently acting as saviors for one part of the population and invaders for the other part. Moreover, attitudes kept changing within Lebanese communities over the past decade. One day they hated Damascus and the next day they were its most faithful allies, and then back again. The close economic, cultural and family ties added to the confusion.

The year 2005 saw yet another major crisis in the two countries' relations, triggered by the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. His family and political followers accused Syria of his death. The Syrian army had to leave Lebanon in the wake of mass protests, but Damascus still exerted unfailing political influence on Lebanese developments.

The pressure exerted on Syria by the West after that only exacerbated the tension finally leading to another political crisis in Lebanon, bringing violence and awful bloodshed.

Finally, careful international mediation, especially the Arab League's efforts, brought about reconciliation in Lebanese society. It also happened due to Damascus' active involvement in the negotiation process, which culminated in the election of Michel Suleiman.

But a final consensus is still far from reached. It took over a month after the election of a new president to form the cabinet and another month to agree on a new government program. A day after it was approved in parliament, a bomb exploded in Tripoli. The fragile peace in Lebanon is threatened again.

It seems like the terrorists have overreached themselves. For the first time in a long period Lebanese politicians have shown solidarity. Not one of them tried to accuse Damascus of being behind the attack, breaking the already established tradition.

Quite on the contrary, elated by the agreement reached, Lebanese leaders see the attack as a reason to stabilize the country in the shortest possible time.

Six months without a president, and over 18 months with parliament and government paralyzed, have naturally affected the country's economy and security. These problems will keep the new government busy enough without external forces interfering with its work. They have parliamentary elections ahead, with inevitable political battles to fight. But the fact that Damascus and Beirut have found common ground will certainly bring tensions in Lebanon down.

Also, one still wonders how the restoration of diplomatic relations will affect another major problem in the region - the "resistance" put up by Hezbollah, Lebanon's Shiite Islamic movement which is close to Tehran and Damascus. The planned demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border will include dealing with the Shebaa Farms, a territory that borders Syria, Lebanon and Israel, and is currently invaded by Israel - a fact widely publicized by Hezbollah as the reason why Lebanon needs the "resistance."

Israel claims that the Shebaa Farms are a Syrian territory and is willing to hand it over as part of a peace treaty with Damascus. Lebanon isn't happy about that. Syria, in turn, has agreed with Lebanon up until now, but never issued any official statement.

The situation will probably change now. But will Israel make good on its promise and hand over the Shebaa Farms? Wouldn't it look like another humiliation, handing it directly to Hezbollah? The other option, living through another "resistance" campaign, is even less encouraging.

There are reasons for more conflicts to erupt in and around Lebanon today; the explosion in Tripoli could be one of them.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала