Signaling the breakup of the anti-Syrian coalition, Christian leader Michel Aoun announced yesterday he will field his own candidates in upcoming parliamentary elections and lashed out at his Muslim opposition allies for helping Syria dominate Lebanon in the past decades. "We are the only ones who are not Syrian symbols. The rest are all one way or another Syrian symbols," said Aoun, who returned May 7 from 14 years' exile in France.The split between one-time allies is not likely to alter results, which experts expect to end in the defeat of the pro-Syrians, but it could spell the end of the unusually strong cooperation across sectarian lines that helped drive Syria out. It is also sure to energize a so far stale campaign marred by withdrawals of candidates and triumph of others uncontested. Aoun, a former army commander who fought and lost a "war of liberation" against the Syrian Army in Lebanon in 1989 before going into exile, regards himself as the "real opposition" — in contrast to politicians he has said were Syria's allies but turned on Damascus because of recent changes in popular sentiment.
At a packed news conference at his home northeast of Beirut, Aoun said he will run for a seat, but did not say where. "We've decided to wage the election and the decision will be for the Lebanese," said Aoun. The anti-Syrian opposition, which united Christians and Muslims against Syria after the February assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, is now hoping to end Syria's control of Parliament. The staggered elections begin Sunday and run through the following three Sundays. The elections are Lebanon's first parliamentary vote since domestic and international pressure forced Syria to withdraw its troops and intelligence agents from its tiny neighbor.
| Another case of "I'd rather be right than win..." |