No other way for Lebanon

Feb.15, 2008

No other way for Lebanon

THE people of Lebanon on Thursday survived a test of fire. They proved pessimists and gloom-forecasters wrong when they made sure that two highly charged gatherings did not lead to what could have triggered a course into further into chaos and a possible revival of civil war in the country.
Indeed, the two gathering that took place in Lebanon on Thursday symbolised the deep political divide among the Lebanese. One was to commemorate former prime minister Rafiq Hariri on the third anniversary of his assassination in a car explosion while the other was the funeral for Hizbollah's Imad Mughnieh, the man blamed for a number of anti-US and anti-Israeli attacks and who was killed a bombing in Damascus on Tuesday that bore an unmistakeable Israeli signature.
Hariri's 2005 assassination, which also bore an Israeli signature but was blamed on Syria, was an event that drastically changed the geopolitics of not only Lebanon and but of Syria and other countries with close links with the people of Lebanon.
Hariri had risen to the challenge of reuniting the people of Lebanon after 18 years of a devastating civil war that left the country in shambles and he had made success of it. Notwithstanding contentions that the reunification of the country came at a high economic cost, the fact remains that it was a tough mission and needed an iron will and the best of strategies. Hariri had both and the Lebanese and Arabs remember him as a leader who had what it took to put the country back together and place it on track to recovery. His departure from power was a blow to Lebanon because the plans that he had devised could not be implemented in full and they remained struck where they were.
On the political front, the Hariri assassination led to the end of the Syrian domination of Lebanon and depature of the Syrian military from the country after nearly three decades of presence there.
Today, Lebanon is at a crossroads and fears are high of a revived sectarian conflict stemming from the deadlock between the government and opposition over powersharing. While the two sides could agree on a consensus candidate as the next president of the country, they have yet to see eye to eye on the structure of the cabinet.
It was as if the Mughnieh killing was timed to coincide with the Hariri anniversary by whoever was behind it because Thursday's rival gathering offered the best flashpoint for violence between the two sides.
However, both sides exercised restraint and went out of their way to avoid conflict during Thursday's events. The ruling coalition leaders sent condolences to Hizbollah over Mughnieh's death in a move that helped cool nerves and ease tensions with the opposition. The Arab World held its breath with crossed fingers closely watching the happenings in Beirut and counting the minutes and hours that passed before curtains fell on the two gatherings and people went home.
No matter what develops ahead, the message that Rafiq Hariri's widow, Nazik, issued on the occasion of her husband's death anniversary warning against "falling into hatred" and calling for "unity to save the country" should be the beacon for the people of Lebanon. That is the only way ahead for anyone who loves Lebanon.