Israel Matzav

Lebanese government collapses over Special Tribunal

Lebanon's carefully crafted unity government collapsed on Wednesday over differences relating to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is likely to give its report on the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri sometime in the next few days. Current Prime Minister Sa'ad al-Hariri, Rafik's son, is cutting short a trip to Washington and will return to Beirut on Thursday after a brief stopover in Paris.

Hezbullah is behind the government's collapse.

On behalf of the ten opposition ministers, Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil announced resignation from Cabinet, following a brief meeting at Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's headquarters in Rabiyeh.

Bassil expressed "appreciation and gratitude" to Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for their efforts to help Lebanon overcome the political crisis caused by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon "in light of the obstruction of Cabinet caused by the other camp's inability to overcome U.S. pressure despite the openness we have displayed."

The ministers expressed their disappointment that efforts to end the crisis have been missed "even after our final attempt to rectify the situation and the other camp's insistence to maintain its same approach."

The opposition ministers therefore turned to President Suleiman, demanding him to take control of the situation.

Bassil stated: "Prime Minister Saad Hariri should choose between Beirut and Washington and between Beirut and any other capital, we have made our choice of adhering to the institutions."

"Our decision is legal and constitutional and we make room for the new government to perform its duties," he concluded.

Soon after the end of the opposition meeting, State Minister Adnan Sayyed Hussein announced his stepping down, thus providing the minimum necessary number of resignations to topple the cabinet.

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The announcement by Bassil came just as Hariri was meeting in Washington with U.S. President Barack Obama on the crisis.

Hizbullah and its allies have for months been pressing Hariri to disavow the STL on the grounds that it is part of a U.S.-Israeli plot.

According to unconfirmed press reports, the STL is poised to indict senior Hizbullah members in connection to the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Environment Minister Mohammad Rahhal, who is close to Hariri, told AFP that Hizbullah's decision to quit the government was aimed at paralyzing the state and forcing the premier to reject the tribunal.

"They think that by piling the pressure on him, Hariri will bend but they are mistaken," Rahhal said.

Mustapha Alloush, a senior member of Hariri's Future Movement, said that the opposition had timed the announcement of the government collapse to coincide with the premier's meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama.

"They want Hariri to enter the meeting with the U.S. president as an ex-premier or as head of a caretaker government," Alloush told AFP. "But the real goal is to deal a moral blow to the United States."

"Saad Hariri was on the brink of making a major concession as concerns the tribunal, but occult forces prevented him from doing so," Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat told AFP without elaborating.

AP adds:

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal urged Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria, to rejoin the government.

Political scientist Hilal Khashan said Washington had "vetoed" the Saudi-Syrian initiative and there was little prospect of a new government being formed quickly.

The Saudi-Syrian proposals were never spelt out by either country. According to a politician close to Hariri, they would have involved a Hezbollah pledge not to resort to violence if its members were indicted, while Hariri would ensure that any indictment was not exploited to Hezbollah's political detriment.

Here's a Fox News report including an interview with Lebanese ex-pat Walid Phares.

Let's go to the videotape.



By the way, they mention Israel at the end of that video. Israel Radio reports that Israel sent a message to Lebanon through the United States that it will not interfere in Lebanon so long as it is not attacked.

The New York Times adds:

Ten of the ministers announced their resignations just as Prime Minister Saad Hariri was meeting with President Obama in Washington. The opposition had hoped that all 11 ministers would resign together, to bring down the government at that time and expose Mr. Hariri to the maximum embarrassment.

But the 11th minister, Adnan Sayed Hussein, announced his resignation in a statement later in the evening, the National News Agency reported, after the meeting in Washington was over.

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In contrast to 2005, Hezbollah’s adversaries — gathered around Mr. Hariri — have fewer options and less support than they once did, emblematic of the vast changes in Lebanon’s political landscape the past few years. While the Bush administration wholeheartedly backed Mr. Hariri and his allies then, President Obama has not pledged the same kind of support. Syria, whose influence was waning in 2005, has re-emerged in Lebanon, and even its detractors here have sought some kind of relationship with it. Most Lebanese also vividly recall the speed at which Hezbollah and its allies vanquished their foes in just a few days of street fighting in Beirut in May 2008.

“Who are your allies these days?” Sateh Noureddine, a columnist with As-Safir newspaper, asked of Mr. Hariri’s camp. “You are going to get beaten on the streets and you will not be able to respond.”

As mentioned a couple of times, President Obama met with Sa'ad al-Hariri on Wednesday. The result of that meeting was meaningless platitudes and no real commitments.

A White House statement released later Wednesday said the actions by Hizbullah "only demonstrate their own fear and determination to block the government's ability to conduct its business and advance the aspirations of all of the Lebanese people."

Obama commended Hariri "for his steadfast leadership and efforts to reach peace, stability, and consensus in Lebanon under difficult circumstances.

"The president and prime minister expressed their determination to achieve both stability and justice in Lebanon during this challenging period of government volatility, and agreed that all parties should avoid threats or actions that could cause instability," the White House statement said.

"The president and prime minister specifically discussed united efforts with France, Saudi Arabia, and other key international and regional actors to maintain calm in Lebanon and ensure that the work of the tribunal continues unimpeded by third parties," the White House statement added.

Present at the meeting from the Lebanese side were Lebanese Ambassador to Washington Antoine Shedid, Hariri's chief of staff Nader Hariri, his advisor for U.S. affairs Amal Mudallali and his media advisor Hani Hammoud.

From the U.S. side, the meeting was attended by National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, Assistant to the President for homeland security and counter-terrorism John Brennan, and the head of the Middle East Desk at the National Security Council Dan Shapiro.

We will keep a close eye on this, but so far, I have not seen any indication that the Israeli government expects any resulting violence to spill over into our country.

Labels: Barack Obama, Hassan Nasrallah, Lebanon, Saad Hariri, Special Tribunal for Lebanon

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:48 AM