Posted on 07/19/2006 5:40:26 PM PDT by Straight Vermonter
Beirut, 19 July (AKI) - Lebanese leaders from across the political and religious spectrum have unanimously condemned Israel for the current conflict, but behind this apparent united stance, their positions remain as divided as ever. From pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud to Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and parliamentary speaker, Nabih Berri, all have repeatedly appealed to the international community to intervene to stop the Israeli aggression. Yet Siniora, Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat and others in the so-called 14 March anti-Syrian parliamentary majority argue the government "should not be held responsible for Hezbollah's actions".
They are also calling for the creation of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, along the border with Israel, to be controlled by a United Nations peacekeeping force.
This position is endorsed by Saad ad-Din Hariri, the son of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri whose assassination in February 2005 triggered a wave of anti-Syrian demonstrations in Lebanon and led to Damascus' military withdrawal from the country that April.
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has also said that "southern Lebanon needs international protection and not a [Hezbollah-Israeli] ceasefire at the country's expense".
But on the pro-Syrian front, Lahoud, Berri and cabinet ministers close to Hezbollah have stated that any "questioning of Hezbollah's strategy only aims to to divide the country".
They all vehemently oppose any deployment of foreign troops in Lebanon and the creation of a buffer zone measures they fear will weaken the Shiite militia's grip on the country's southern regions.
Caught between the two camps is veteran Christian leader Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally in last year's general elections but who has had to heed the hostility shown by many Christians towards Hezbollah who they blame for instigating the conflict with Israel.
A further sign of these divisions emerged on Tuesday when Foreign Minister Fawzi Sallukh, who is close to Hezbollah, was excluded from a meeting between Siniora, the UN delegation and French Prime Minister Domenique De Villepin.
The topic of the discussions was the possible creation of the buffer zone and the eventual deployment of a UN force - both opposed by Sallukh.
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