Democratic Palestine : 35 (ص 23)
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- Democratic Palestine : 35 (ص 23)
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can be no military solution to
Lebanon’s political problems, the na-
tionalists were forced to resort to the
military option; in the process, they
surpassed the «red lines» that have ex-
isted between the isolationists and na-
tionalist forces for a number of years.
«No red lines any more, we shall
undertake any action we deem ap-
propriate at any place, any time and by
any means,» said Walid Jumblatt (AP,
August 16th). It was the first time since
the current confrontation began in
March ihat ground forces moved
against each other, having previously
been firing from stationary positions.
WAR BY PROXY
Since the cease-fire in the Gulf War a
year ago, Iraq has put its energies into
its old fight with Syria, choosing
Lebanon as the theater of confronta-
tion by arming Aoun. Thus, Iraq seeks
to punish Syria for supporting Iran in
the Gulf War, without itself paying the
price of this harassment. Also the
unresolved hostilities between Iraq and
Iran spill over into the conflict in
Lebanon.
The Casablanca Summit tried to
defuse the Syrian-Iraqi feud, but failed.
All they could do for Lebanon was to
set up a committee of the heads of state
of Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Algeria,
who dispatched their foreign ministers
on a round of diplomacy. The three
foreign ministers shuttled between
Damascus and Baghdad, seeking to
bring the two Arab rivals to pressure
their respective Lebanese allies to abide
by a truce. They tried to achieve a com-
promise between the two sides to scale
Democratic Palestine, October 1989
down the Lebanese conflict, but they
made no progress.
INTERNATIONALIZATION
Although Aoun enjoys the support of
virtually all the imperialist countries, it
was notably France which sent its ar-
mada to the Mediterranean, at a time
when it had become obvious that
Aoun’s forces were in a difficult posi-
tion. Aoun himself openly stated: «I
would like a French military interven-
tion» (AP, August 18th).
France tried to present its threat of
military intervention under a
humanitarian guise. The minister for
the French speaking world, Alain
Decaux, said, «Everyone feels the
Lebanese question as a tragedy but
France feels it in its heart. Across the
centuries, France has been the protector
of the Christian community. There is
no reason why our country should not
continue in that role forever» (The.
Guardian, August 16th). «There is no
question of military intervention...
France does not believe in a military
solution,» said the French ambassador
to Lebanon, Rene Ala (The Guardian,
August 22nd).
However, the French statements
didn’t dispell fears that the fleet was
sent close to Lebanon’s shores for a
covert political purpose. Sending war-
ships to the Mediterranean was an at-
tempt by the French government to in-
fluence the outcome of the Lebanese
conflict in favor of Aoun’s forces, by
internationalizing the situation. It ap-
pears that France is attempting to
revive its past colonial role in the area.
Aware of these aims, the Lebanese
Nationalist Front declared that it had
«decided to deal with any French
presence off our shores as a military
target» (International Herald Tribune,
August 24th). Amal leader, Nabih
Berri, one of the members of this front,
said that he would give orders to open
fire on any French naval vessels that
approached the Lebanese coast.
Another aim of sending the French
fleet was to sabotage the Arab League
efforts to resolve the Lebanese crisis.
This was confirmed by diplomatic
moves which centered around a three-
step «peace plan» disclosed by the
French foreign minister, Roland
Dumas. This plan reflected the French
government’s bias towards Aoun’s
forces by laying all the blame for the
crisis on Syria. It could thus only serve
to widen the internal differences in
Lebanon.
The Soviet Union was the first nation
to mark its distance from the French
position, pointedly denying that the
dispatch of the French warships had
been discussed in Moscow during the
visit of the French envoy. Moreover,
the Soviet Union has engaged in active
diplomacy aimed to consolidate the
ceasefire delcared by the UN Security
Council in mid-August. This was an
embarrasment to France, and raised
hopes that it might yet be possible to
achieve a cease-fire as a first step to
ending the war. Dr. Salim Hoss, head
of the legitimate government in
Lebanon, said, «No one but the Soviet
Union can do anything at this stage»
(The Guardian, August 26th). The
Soviet Union has expressed support to
the Arab League Committee, en-
couraging it to resume its efforts.
FACTS BEHIND THE
IMPASSE
In addition to the French attempt at
intervention, Israel and the US are the
two parties that have done most to
block a solution to the Lebanese crisis
along the lines pursued by the Arab
three-state committee. The continua-
tion of the crisis serves the interests of
Israel which wants to keep Lebanon
weak and divided, in order to enforce
its own hegemony. Moreover, as stated
by retired Israeli Brigadier General
Aharon Levran, «It is a blessing for >
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