Near 'war' to free Lebanon

By Ahmed Al-Jarallah, Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times AFTER long years of suffering under Nicolae Ceausescu the Romanians revolted against the dictator, seized the government and finally hanged him. Similarly the East Germans, who were tired of the communist regime of Erich Honecker, led a revolution which brought down the Berlin Wall and united East Germany with West Germany. When Milosevic launched his ethnic cleansing - killing thousands of Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo - the whole world rose up against him and brought him down with the might of airborne attacks.

The current Syrian regime is no different from any of these dictators with respect to its relations with its own people, Lebanon, Arab countries and the rest of the world. The Syrian regime is bone-headed and is following in the footsteps of its ancestors in Iraq, Romania, Germany and Serbia. By insisting on not leaving Lebanon and not abiding by UN resolutions it is leading Syrians further into isolation. The Syrian regime still wants to control Lebanon through instructions to the puppets it has installed in that country.

The Lebanese people will no longer put up with this charade because they are more united now. Soon they will explode against the Syrian regime, which thinks it can occupy Lebanon merely by sending a bunch of intelligence agents and soldiers. The Syrian regime is spreading lies that Lebanon will slide into a civil war if the Syrian army leaves its positions. This is a useless argument. The Syrian regime is aware guerilla warfare is effective against any organised army. The Lebanese, who have become experts in guerrilla warfare, know when they can strike the Syrian army causing maximum damages.

Syria, which has been fighting its war through Lebanon, believes it can use the same tactics against the Americans. It is dangerously wrong this time because the Lebanese have sought the help of the United States. It is no longer taboo for an Arab country to seek the help of foreigners, especially since Syria has crossed all limits. Except for the militias, a minority who supported the extension of Emile Lahoud's term, the Lebanese have disclosed their true feelings vis-a-vis the Syrians though newspapers, satellite television channels and Internet. The Lebanese militias are aware of the changing international realities and know the tide is turning against the Syrian regime.

The Lebanese have changed their opinion about Syria and reveal their true emotions in private. Their encouragement of Syria to be strong and stubborn is a ruse to make the Syrian regime an easy prey for the Lebanese with the support of international forces. Syria may face guerrilla warfare in Lebanon. This is to be expected and should be excused because Lebanon wants to regain its dignity and be a free country. When this war starts, Arabs and the rest of the world will provide Lebanese all the support they need to achieve their legitimate goal.