“Lebanese details” carry heavy burdens with their entangled complexities that, at first glance, seem political but soon reveal their sectarian roots, ultimately culminating in a personality reinforced by family, tribe, or a “trusted individual.”
In closed meetings, Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam often complains about these “details,” which largely seem to encapsulate Lebanese political life and can drown those tasked with addressing them in a whirlwind of “piecemeal” calculations, specifics, sensitivities, and animosities, extending to gossip and the biographies of players and their worthy descendants.
Even an issue as critical as Security Council Resolution 425, which calls for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces from the south, can turn – in the always open market of bids and tenders – into a demand for a specific sect, group, or party, as if what remains of the country is “safe and sound.”
Yesterday, on the sidelines of his evening visit to Beirut, the Syrian Vice President touched on some of these “details” in his brief and gesture-rich speech, emphasizing – as a statesman – the ways to address those who “want to be treated and healed rather than play at draining the wounded to benefit from the appearance of a “healer” and the myth of his blessed hand.”
Abdul Halim Khaddam said, in the heart of the presidential headquarters, that “the institution” is the source of authority and the natural framework for dialogue or discussion, whether it leads to agreement or disagreement. Matters are raised and resolved within the Cabinet, not outside of it.
