World's Heavyweights Give Dramatic Support to Lebanon's Transition out of Syria's Orbit
This was the conclusion drawn by the Beirut media Tuesday from Lebanon-related landmark events in the United Nations in the past 24 hours, which were capped by a decision to hold a conference of donor nations in Beirut before the year's end to bail Lebanon out of its monetary abyss.
The Associated Press noted that 'Lebanon's elected government' under Premier Seniora has gotten the support of the United Nations, the world's major powers and financial titans at a meeting held at the U.N. Monday, which promised the donors' conference and demanded Syria's hands-off Lebanon.
The warmth lavished on Seniora contrasted starkly with the treatment of Lebanon's pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud, who was in the United Nations giving a speech to the U.N. General Assembly at the same time. Lahoud, increasingly isolated for his ties to neighboring Syria, had not been invited to either the meeting or a subsequent news conference, The AP noted.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the other foreign ministers of Monday's meeting praised a blueprint of political, economic and judicial reforms submitted by Seniora.
They stressed that Lebanon must be allowed to determine its own future, emphasized the urgent need to complete the ongoing international investigation into Rafik Hariri's assassination and demanded from Syria to cooperate fully with the probe that is headed by German Prosecutor Detlev Mehlis.
"Lebanon has to be free of foreign interference. This is an issue of national sovereignty for Lebanon and Syria must respect the national sovereignty of Lebanon," said Rice, the sponsor of the conference.
"It is clear that Syria needs to get on the right side of the events that are going on in the Middle East."
The truth about Hariri's assassination has to be found, 'whatever that truth is," Rice asserted.
The AP said the U.N. meeting "was meant to show support for Seniora as he charts a delicate course of political and economic independence after 29 years of effective Syrian occupation. He was chosen by Lebanon's current parliament, which is largely anti-Syrian and was the first to be elected in a vote free of Syrian influence."
"Today, Lebanon is at a threshold of a new dawn," Seniora said. "With the goodwill and support of the international community and the determination of the Lebanese people, we have a real chance of achieving our goals."
Lebanon has one of the highest national debts in the world -- measured as 165 percent of its gross national product or about $36 billion. Seniora hopes eventually to win international debt relief, although most of the debt is held by Lebanese creditors.
The meeting was also attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, France, Italy, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Britain. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz also took part.
"For Syria, the most important is that there be no meddling (in Lebanon) either by its military or by its intelligence services," said French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. "Lebanon can count on France."
Annan said the world community "remains steadfast in its determination to ensure that outside actors end all interference in the domestic affairs of Lebanon and invite all parties within Lebanon to commit themselves to peaceful democratic reforms and regional stability."(Naharnet-AP-AFP)
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