Posted on 04/25/2005 5:14:22 PM PDT by CHARLITE
HAYY EL-RAMEL, Lebanon (AP) - As soon as the truckloads of Syrian soldiers had left for home, Mariam Majzoub started dishing out paint to erase the last vestiges of their 29-year presence.
Her children, nephews, nieces and neighbors stuck Lebanese flags on top of the abandoned posts near her home in this tiny Bekaa Valley village, slapped whitewash on the walls and celebrated the departure date in green paint: "Independence 2005, Sunday, April 17."
"We started dancing in the street even before they turned the corner," said Majzoub, her plump face glowing with joy. "We could finally express ourselves, and there was nothing they could do about it."
Syria ended its three-decade presence in Lebanon on Sunday, leaving behind only a few score troops who will attend a farewell ceremony Tuesday. Now Lebanon has to start sorting out a new relationship with its more powerful neighbor.
Syria leaves behind staunch allies who benefited from its presence. At least until parliamentary elections that are supposed to be held by May 31, its military personnel are free to move at will between the two countries. Last month, only hours after the Syrians evacuated their Beirut intelligence offices, their intelligence chief showed up at the site, as if to signal they could be back anytime they want.
Even if an anti-Syrian government takes power, its leaders are hesitant to do anything to antagonize Damascus, such as entering into peace talks with Israel.
A foretaste of possible instability came in five bombings in March and April in mainly anti-Syrian Christian areas in which two people were killed and 25 were wounded. There have also been several attacks targeting Syrian laborers in the country.
But Syria has to tread carefully too, especially where the United States, France and Saudi Arabia are concerned. Those three governments exerted the most pressure on Syria to pull out and would likely react furiously to any sign it is trying to move back in.
Damascus will have to keep up its "good behavior" in Lebanon, as well as rethink its policies regarding the U.S. presence in Iraq and the Arab-Israeli peace efforts, said Paul Salem, a Lebanese political analyst.
Syrian troops entered Lebanon in the second year of the country's 1975-90 civil war and numbered about 40,000 soldiers at their peak, along with hundreds of intelligence officers who exercised wide powers of control.
Syria began withdrawing under pressure following the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Opposition leaders accused Lebanon's pro-Syrian government and Syria of involvement in the assassination - a charge both denied. Around the time of the assassination, there were 14,000 Syrians in Lebanon.
But the two countries remain linked by a 1991 treaty that calls for close cooperation on security, foreign policy and the economy. They don't even have diplomatic relations - a sign, the opposition says, that Syria doesn't recognize Lebanon's sovereignty.
Even members of the staunchly anti-Syrian opposition have called for good relations with Damascus, including former rebel Christian army leader Gen. Michel Aoun. He waged a quixotic war on Syria in 1989 that ended with his exile in France. He now hopes to return to Lebanon.
On Lebanon's side "there's a commitment to maintain strategic relations on the big issues with Syria," said analyst Salem.
The eastern Lebanese Bekaa valley was a strategically important region for Syria's own security, particularly in facing arch-foe Israel. But to Bekaa villagers, strategy and high diplomacy can wait; right now they're savoring such simple pleasures as grazing their sheep by Syrian military installations that were long off-limits to them.
"Freedom is beautiful," said Salim Rabah, 58, a retired merchant who lives 500 yards from an abandoned Syrian checkpoint.
Among a group of young men smoking waterpipes, the consensus was that the economy would improve because jobs would no longer go to Syrians with contacts in the military.
"Good riddance," said Zakariyya Ghazzawi, 23, a baker.
But Anwar Sharqiyyah, a 25-year-old farmer, felt that the retreat lacked dignity.
"The Syrians helped stop the Lebanese civil war. They were important for the country's stability," he said, articulating the official Syrian line. "We wanted them to leave, but they should have left in a more honorable manner."
Tyrants suffering...for liberals, this is a loss.....
Why no MSM coverage? Well, I can report to you that NPR covered it on my way home tonight and portrayed it as kind of a sad thing for the poor Lebanese. I am not making this up.
I wouldn't call it a victory yet. If you think Syria really has left Lebanon... well...
President Bush is doing good all over!!
Thanks for the report. This is progress, even though the report doesn't say (and doesn't know) the status of Syrian intelligence forces in Lebanon. Better to have the troops out and Lebanon closer to controlling its own territory again.
When Syria announced its withdrawl, CBS radio, very clearly, said "It is important to know, first thing, that Bush's middle east policy had nothing to do with this".
I continued shaving, after changing the station back to the local all-sports channel.
For real? Did you actually hear this? Now I'm angrier than I was before!
Char
"Ding Dong, the Syrians are gone.........."
Yea, but how many Syrian secret police and Army Intel are still buried within Lebanon? Will they truly loosen their handle on Lebanon and let it make it's own piece among it's varied religous communities? Guess time will tell. At least Israel will not feel as threatend, if there are not Syrian positioned artillery batteries in the highlands waiting to unload on them.
I'm a media junkie from way back, and I REMEMBER these things.
"As g-d is my witness...It was Charles Osgood.'
We'll that makes it a little more acceptable. At least it wasn't someone who was supposed to be objective.
It is a FLAT OUT LIE. That differs from "commentating".
"(why no liberal MSM coverage of this Bush policy victory?)"
ROTFLOL!!! You're joking .. right ..??
Just put "MSM" and "Bush victory" in the same sentence - NEVER HAPPEN - NEVER, EVER HAPPEN.
The media is too stinking arrogant to admit that this was an amazing victory for Bush.
BUT .. IT ONLY CONTINUES TO PROVE OUR POINT THAT THE MEDIA IS BIASED. To ignore this story is just unreal!!!
Quite a lot, obviously, unless the unemployment lines in Damascus have suddenly gotten 10,000 longer. They're still there, of course.
What is interesting, though, is how much the lack of an overt presence will trend Hezbollah away from the Syrian position and toward the Iranian. Offsetting that is going to be a desire on the part of Hezbollah to seem legitimate enough to participate in whatever democratic government results from this sea change. Or, it could quite easily result in an overt military power play on the part of Hezbollah to take the entire place over. That absolutely could happen.
There is, of course, one overriding consideration in all of the players' minds, and that is how much of a hammer Bush is willing to employ should one party or the other attempt an untoward flexing of muscles. As time goes on there will be a suspicion that the American tiger has curled back up in the corner, and I suspect that either active diplomacy or covert military operations or both are going to be necessary to remind the fellows with the guns that other fellows have a lot more and shoot them better. This is a lesson that needs frequent reinforcement, as Saddam showed us.
I have been wondering the same thing all weekend--- I thought it would at least been mentioned on the Sunday Talk Shows--but I didn't see it---
IMO, this is a direct result of Bush's Doctrine--wouldn't have happened if we weren't in Iraq!!! Just add this, even if there have been Syrian intelligence, to the long list of things that wouldn't have happened if Bush hadn't been President!
You know....
FMCDH(BITS)
You know...."
Definitely, I know. I thought that the sub title was suitably rhetorical and sarcastic.
How ya doin' there, nothingnew?.........and in your spare time, check out this very SICK anti-conservative, anti-Bush, anti-Republican website. Positively GHOULISH! On a scale of 1 to 10, this is a 100 for "MOST ZOT-ABLE!" http://www.evilgopbastards.com/
I wish I knew enough about computer whizzing to disable that site! Argh-g-gh!
Char :)
"Offsetting that is going to be a desire on the part of Hezbollah to seem legitimate enough to participate in whatever democratic government results from this sea change. Or, it could quite easily result in an overt military power play on the part of Hezbollah to take the entire place over. That absolutely could happen."
I couldn't agree more with all you wrote. I was going to make some comments about the Hezbollah thugs but keeped original short. Surely with the overt help of Syria and Iran they could cause so much tormoil in Lebanon, the country could fall back into the nasty days of the 80's. One thing is for sure, Assad and Kamati (might have mispelled the Iranian president's name incorrectly), are sure going to make sure they keep agents withing spheres of influence in Lebanon. They have to much to lose if Lebanon goes democratic and elects a government for all the people and the French and other EU's, Brits, and us back them up. The Iranian Mullahs are going to go quite ballistic. Perhaps they will cut themselves up with sharp knives and bleed to death and do their nation a great service. Perhaps the peoples of Lebanon regardless of religious affiliations will see the Hezbollah as for what they are in due time. Just like more Palestinian Arabs are getting fed up with the Hamas. I had a neighbor who was born in Lebanon, an Arab, he moved to the US, joined the Marine Corps., married a female Irish Marine. I wish I could remember a lot of what he shared for a few years, way back when about how things really operated in Lebanon. With all it's troubles it appears most Lebanese would rather just live in peace and do trade with Europe etc., and build their country up instead of all the shit it has had to endure for so long.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.