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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Lebanon's feuding factions reach agreement |
| 2008-05-21 |
| Lebanon's feuding factions reached a breakthrough deal Wednesday that ends the country's 18-month political stalemate, but also gives the militant Hezbollah group and its allies veto over any government decision. The deal, reached with the help of Arab mediators, was immediately praised by Iran and Syria, which back Hezbollah. But it appears certain to accelerate fears in the West over Hezbollah's new power. A leader of the Western-backed government, Saad Hariri, seemed to acknowledge his side had largely caved in, spurred by a sharp outbreak of violence earlier this month after months of stalemate. "I know that the wounds are deep and my injury is deep, but we only have each other to build Lebanon," he said after the announcement of the deal, which was brokered after five days of talks in Qatar. Hezbollah's chief negotiator, Mohammed Raad, downplayed the group's win. "Neither side got all it demanded, but (the agreement) is a good balance between all parties' demands," he said. The election of a compromise president — a general in Lebanon's mostly powerless but neutral army — was expected Sunday, Lebanon's state news agency reported. The Hezbollah-led opposition won both its demands with the deal: veto power in a new national unity government, and an electoral law that divides up Lebanon into smaller-sized districts, allowing for better representation of the country's various sects. A few bursts of celebratory gunfire broke out in Beirut after the announcement. Lebanese television stations, which broadcast the Qatar ceremony live, showed Lebanese politicians and their Arab hosts congratulating and hugging one another. The talks in Qatar and the deal were a dramatic cap to Lebanon's worst internal fighting since the 1975-90 civil war. At least 67 people were killed when clashes broke between pro-government groups and the opposition in the streets Beirut and elsewhere earlier this month. As Lebanon came close to a new all-out war, Arab League mediators intervened and got the sides to agree to hold last-ditch negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha, to resolve the crisis. But the resulting deal was a major victory for Hezbollah. Rest at link |
| Posted by:ed |
| #1 The long dance with the Devil goes on... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2008-05-21 11:32 |