LEBANON'S MAN IN THE MUDDLE
May 28, 2008
EVEN before he was sworn in as Lebanon's new president on Sunday, Gen. Michel Suleiman had earned the sobriquet tawafoqi - "man of consensus." He lived up to that label in his first address as president - with something for everyone.
Suleiman, the former Army chief of staff, waved an olive branch at Syria, the power behind much of Lebanon's troubles these last four decades. But he also suggested that Syria and Lebanon establish diplomatic ties - something Syria has always rejected because, deep down, it doesn't really recognize Lebanese independence.
On his first full day in office, Suleiman arranged to meet the visiting Iranian foreign minister, Manuchehr Motakki. After all, the Islamic Republic is a key player in Lebanese politics, thanks to its control of the Shiite Hezbollah militia and the Maronite Christian bloc led by ex-Gen. Michel Aoun.
Yet the "man of consensus" at least partly owed his election to Saudi Arabia and Egypt (whose support led to the success of the recent Doha peace conference among Lebanese factions). So the new president spent a good part of his first day in office on the phone with Saudi and Egyptian leaders.
Suleiman became the "man of consensus" because, at first, nobody wanted him as president. The Western-backed democratic coalition, headed by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, wanted Nassib Lahoud (a former ambassador to Washington). The Hezbollah-led opposition, backed by Iran and Syria, wanted Aoun.
Had they acted with greater courage six months ago, the democrats - known as the March 14 Coalition - might have been able to elect their candidate. But they hesitated - allowing the Iran-backed faction to heighten the crisis and draw in the Arab League. Once the Arab League was involved, the Lebanese coalition lost a good part of its independence.
Suleiman's election is hailed throughout the region as a sign that neither side in Lebanon has won. In a sense, however, the winner was Hezbollah and its Maronite allies - the side that relied on bullets rather than ballots. They showed that, even if you lack the votes, you can still prevent the election of someone you don't like - provided you have the guns.
Suleiman has made it all but clear that he won't press for Hezbollah's disarmament, although two UN Security Council resolutions demand just that.
