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Syria and the Mehlis Report

Manuela Paraipan - 11/14/2005

Detlev Mehlis report, as many expected had an immediate impact on Syria. The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1636 calling on President's Assad regime to fully cooperate with the UN investigators into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. At the insistence of Russia and China, the final version of the resolution failed to include sanctions, but it did let the possibility of "further action" open, in case the regime choose to ignore the international community once again. Mehlis has hinted that Hariri could not have been killed without the complicity of top security officials of Syria and Lebanon. Although no Syrian officials have yet been named as suspects, the UN inquiry has implicated President Bashar Assad's brother, Maher and brother-in-law, as well as other Syrian military intelligence officials. In response, Syria has pledged to cooperate with the UN inquiry while maintaining its innocence over the assassination.

James Watt, the British Ambassador to Lebanon told Reuters that the EU firmly supports the UN resolution and encourages the Lebanese government to take action in that aspect.

Saad Hariri, declared in a statement released by his Beirut office that the UN1636 resolution was the "worlds gift" on the 61st birthday of his assassinated father. "Early justice will certainly be administered against those who plotted and executed the biggest terrorist crime in the Middle East in modern times, whoever and wherever they are in Lebanon or outside Lebanon," further said Hariri.

But, if the UN 1636 has the support of the Occident and that of Lebanon's government, in Syria this resolution was attacked and looked with distrust by the members and sympathizers of the Baath party, and also by the average citizens who fear that Syria might become a military target, as Iraq did two years ago.

Dr. Fayez Al-Sayegh, editor in chief of the Al Thawra Newspaper wrote in an editorial that,"This is not the first time Syria is facing such tremendous pressure that is well-prepared and programmed by Zionist circles under various brands and at different positions and places in the world."

In Lebanon, Hezbollah did not disappoint its friend and long-time supporter, Syria. Hezbollah's media representative said that the UN resolution 1636 was part of the US imperialist scheme to use Hariri's murder to "re-tailor the Middle East to the measurements of the United States." Hezbollah, as part of Premier Foud Saniora's government, which supports the UN resolutions 1559 and 1636 should have adopted the same policy line. However, Sheikh Nasrallah decided once more that Hezbollah's place is not in the same camp with the Lebanese parties, but rather with Syria.

At the time of the parliamentary elections, it was crucially for the country to be unified. Therefore, Saad Hariri's Future Movement and its Druze allies believed it was in the interest of the nation to have the Shiit Hezbollah and Amal represented in parliament. Further more, for the first time since its existence as a political party, Hezbollah has ministers who are either its members, or are affiliated with its Islamic and politic creed.

In the last months, it became obvious that Hezbollah had little interest, if any in cooperating with the Saad Hariri's alliance. Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader and President of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon engaged in discussions with Hezbollah's leadership, but eventually the negotiations stagnated. General Aoun, the opposition leader invited them to an open, friendly dialogue, but there were no visible positive results of it. Meantime, Amal's leader and Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri has chosen the middle way – the party did not abandon Syria, while trying to co-operate closely with the pro-Lebanese (as opposed to the pro-Syrian Lebanese government who functioned in the country in the last three decades) government of Premier Siniora.

The UN 1559 resolution was meant not only to disarm, but also to isolate Hezbollah. It failed in both cases, but it is not yet the end of the road. Although there were some discussions with its leadership, there were no final conclusions in this regard. The Israeli security forces repeatedly warned that if Hezbollah will kidnap, attack massively the IDF soldiers or will contribute in any other way to the deterioration of the security situation along the Israeli-Lebanese border, Israel will hold the Lebanese government responsible for it. The challenge for the Lebanese government is to convince Hezbollah's supporters from within the country, that what the armed wing is doing is not in the best interest of all. Furthermore, it has to come up with a solution that Sheikh Nasrallah finds acceptable, so that to minimize any possible rifts between the Shiias themselves, or the Shiias and the other confessions of Lebanon.

A crucial source of Hezbollah's influence over the Lebanese political arena stems from its hostile rhetoric toward Israel and the United States. It acts similarly as its patron, Iran. Thus, shortly after the message of the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that "Israel must be wiped off the map", in Tehran, Berlin and in some other places, Lebanon included, there were marches celebrating the Jerusalem Day. The late Ayatollah Khomeini and the Iranian Islamic government instituted this festivity in 1979, to express the Muslims commitment to liberate Jerusalem of the Jews. Hezbollah's leadership used this event to tie the fate of the Palestinians with that of its own-armed
wing. Thus, along side Hezbollah's flags there were flags and banners of the Palestinian militant factions, such as Hamas, Al Aqsa Brigades and Islamic Jihad.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told the rally, "What we are witnessing today is the using of the Mehlis report to punish Syria for a crime that it has not been convicted of, as a punishment for its political and strategic options. We frankly feel that there is incitement, from more than one international report to sabotage the relations between the Lebanese themselves, the Lebanese and the Palestinians and Lebanon-Syria ties."

The Ya Libnan, a Lebanese political magazine, reported on its website that, "Some 6,000 Hezbollah fighters, in khaki, brown or black military fatigues but carrying no weapons, marched in formation in front of cheering crowds waving the group's yellow flags and chanting 'Death to Israel, Death to America' and 'Oh, Jerusalem, we are coming.'"

Such a behavior raises the question: where does Hezbollah stand, after all? Is it asking that truth be reveled in Hariri's case, even if Syrian top officials will be proven guilty or it will ally itself with Iran and Syria?

The Senior Lebanese Shiia cleric, Sheikh Fadlallah told the Daily Star, "the central issue of the US policy in Lebanon is not for Lebanon's interest, freedom and independence, but it is the disarmament of the resistance and the tangling of Palestinian refugee camps for Israel's interest."

The 1559 Resolution, which was adopted last year in September called for the withdrawal of all foreign troops and the disbanding and disarmament of Lebanon's Shiite militia Hezbollah and that of the Palestinian groups present inside the refugee camps. The report echoed by France, US and UN emphasized, "The existence of armed groups defying the control of the legitimate government which by definition is vested with a monopoly on the use of force throughout its territory, is incompatible with the restoration and full respect of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political independence of the country." Back then, both Amal and Hezbollah attacked the conclusion of the report. Sheikh Naim Kassem, the deputy leader of Hezbollah declared, "We do not know what the US intelligence apparatus would insert in any help to Lebanon and we do not know what FBI investigators are now doing in Beirut. When the Americans intervene, Israel is automatically present." He went on, "We do not need anyone to teach us how to protect our country."

Amal's message was less strong, but nonetheless it carried the same idea of "No, to imported security." Strangely they have raised such slogans now, and not during the three decades of Syrian hegemony over Lebanon.

Many inside Lebanon sustain that the only effective way of dealing with Hezbollah is through an open dialogue. The idea is here that if you push its numerous members and even more numerous sympathizers in a corner, it's likely that they will fight back tooth and nail to regain their respected position and even more. The latter possibly being the transformation of Lebanon into an Islamic Republic.

The change has to come from within Hezbollah's ranks. Its leadership should voluntarily disarm, act only as a political party, and it definitely should be loyal to Lebanon's short and long-term national interests, regardless of Iranians, Syrians or Palestinian goals. That's if they consider themselves primarily as Lebanese.

On the other hand, those who support the party's armed wing must have the guarantee of the government that they will be not less safer without Hezbollah's arms, than they are now with Hezbollah protecting them and the South of the country. Here the pragmatism of politics comes down to earth and it entirely depends on the trust the Southerners may have or not in the government, mainly in the Christians and Sunni Muslims leadership. Those people need the guarantee that their fellow citizens will protect them, if Israel decides to attack Lebanon. Unfortunately, there is no such trust. And, what is more upsetting is that there is little willingness of the Lebanese most important institutions, such as the Presidency, the Government and the Parliament to help build the mutual trust between those who want Hezbollah to hold on to its weapons and guerilla fighters, and those who strongly oppose the idea.

It is important for everyone involved in the process of disarming Hezbollah to see the whole image. The party does have an armed militia, but it also provides countless social services (health care, education, charity) for the politically marginalized and economically disenfranchised Lebanese Shiia community all over the country. Practically, Hezbollah is doing what the State failed to do in the South, and in few other underdeveloped, mostly rural areas. A solution is to see a serious engagement backed by immediate actions from the State in those areas, while the Lebanese Army moves some of its troops on Lebanon's border with Israel, replacing Hezbollah's units. In case that none of the above works, then the last resort is to consider Hezbollah as an outlaw party, who undermines the integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon and deal with them accordingly. But, surely there are other options that need to be tested, before using this one.

There is a lot of tension now, between Lebanon and Syria, Syria and US, and in such an environment facts have to take the lead above the emotions, or the tensions will be transformed in armed conflicts and Lebanon will be once again put in the middle. Although, it has not been yet proved beyond the doubt in a court of law, the car bombs explosions, the row of assassinations and attempts of assassination which started with Rafik Hariri, and continued with other outspoken anti-Syrian personalities, such as Samir Kassir, May Chidiac and Marwan Hamade, all are thought of being carried out from Syrian order, possibly with the help of the Palestinians who are living as refugees inside Lebanon. So far, Syria proved to be a close ally of the Palestinian militant movements and they will likely keep the same line of policy, as long as the Palestinians do not sign a definitive peace treaty with Israel. To minimize the Syrian influence in Lebanon and their ability to arouse conflicts within the country, the Palestinian refugees should be disarmed, in accordance with UN 1559.

For years, the Syrian army had taken care of the refugee camps, actually helping to transform the camps from a civilian establishment into hot beds of terror. Now, that the Syrian army is out of Lebanon, the Lebanese army keeps itself away from the camps, being worried not to 'disturb' the activities of the militants. The Palestinians should be reminded peacefully, that they are guests on the Lebanese soil and they are not above, below or outside the laws of the country. They have to respect the Lebanese laws and authorities, whether they like or not, as long as they are there as refugees. In return, the Lebanese state should provide them with decent living standards in terms of accommodation, jobs, education and healthcare services, and assure them that what happened at Sabra and Shatilla will not happen again. Both sides have done mistakes, and it would be foolish to repeat them.

Lebanon's future should be decided by the Lebanese, in a national wide accepted consensus, not by this or that self-called resistance or militant faction. The Lebanese citizenship carries with it a strong commitment of loyalty towards the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon, above the selfish interests of the Muslim, Druze or Christian sect. The soon everyone understands this fact, the better.