|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
||
| Lebanon Assassination
Politics No one in Lebanon, other than the most fervent opponents of the anti-Syrian government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, is going to believe that yesterday’s murderous bombing in eastern Beirut was unconnected to the assassinations that begun three years ago with Rafik Hariri. Lebanon’s top anti-terror investigation officer, Capt. Wissam Eid, who was killed along with his driver and a number of civilians and who was investigating the most recent attacks, was clearly the target. Those who decided to murder him obviously feared that he had information linking them to one, if not all nine, other assassinations of members of the anti-Syrian movement. Eid had already provided the international enquiry into Hariri’s murder with valuable information and this was not the first attempt on his life; two years ago a grenade was thrown at his house. The killing will not stop the investigations but it is difficult not to fear for Lebanon’s future. There has been a marked increase in violence in the past couple of months. In December, a car bomb killed the army’s head of operations and this month there were two other bomb attacks, one targeting a US Embassy vehicle, killing a number of civilian bystanders, and the other aimed at UN peacekeepers. Only a blind optimist could believe that there will not be others. The violence will not end until the country’s political crisis is solved. The country is still without a president and given the complete deadlock in Parliament between supporters of the government and the Syrian- and Iranian-backed opposition is likely to remain so. Attempts to elect a successor to pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud, who finally stepped down last November, have been delayed 13 times so far, although the presidential crisis is not the reason for Lebanon’s divide; it is merely a symptom. Even if a president were elected, it would not end the divide or the violence. In fact, there are still hopes of a compromise candidate: army chief Gen. Michel Suleiman. Both the government and the opposition have agreed to support him and his candidature was also backed by Arab foreign ministers at their meeting in Cairo earlier this month. Now, however, everything is in question. This latest killing happened just three days after Arab League efforts to secure agreement between the two sides to vote for Suleiman failed — despite Siniora’s claims prior to this latest killing that they are still on track. Officially, there are plans for a parliamentary vote on Feb. 11 but it will probably be delayed again; the opposition is now demanding to be brought into a national unity government as the payoff. Would that be such a disaster? Yes, if it is a means to ensure renewed foreign interference in Lebanon’s government. The majority of Lebanese simply will not allow it. But Lebanon needs unity. The opposition represents a sizeable section of Lebanese society which cannot be ignored forever. The only answer — but it is one Lebanon does not seem ready to address — is constitutional change, to ensure that no community feels isolated and so opts to look abroad for friends. |
