In Algiers, Dina Ezzat examines the agenda of the 2005 Arab Summit and takes stock of 60 years of chequered pan-Arabism, interviewing key contemporary players and profiling past luminaries No more big brother Syrian circumspection over Lebanon shows it has come to terms with the changing nature of its relations with its southern neighbour may be Syria's deputy-foreign minister but he is also the person in charge of Syrian-Lebanese and Syrian- US relations. He is, too, the politician who advised the Syrian leadership to bow to the escalating international pressure that followed the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafiq Al-Hariri. It was on the advice of Al-Moalem, Syrian diplomats say, that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad finally decided to announce the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Al-Assad has, moreover, assigned Al-Moalem the task of explaining to the world the complexities of Syria's position on UN Security Council Resolution 1559. Attending the summit as part of the Syrian delegation, headed by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, Al-Moalem held only a handful of meetings with senior Arab diplomats, reiterating Syria's commitment to comply with the demands for withdrawal made by wide segments of the Lebanese population and influential parties within the international community. Together with his foreign minister Al-Moalem has opposed all suggestions that developments in the situation on the Syrian- Lebanese front be subject to open discussion, either at the preparatory foreign ministers meeting or at the summit itself. Lebanese and Syrian diplomats told both the Algerian government and the secretariat of the summit that while they appreciate Arab concern over developments in their two countries they wanted to restrict the issue to fringe discussions. Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly Al-Moalem -- like other Syrian and Lebanese delegates -- did not pay much attention to the language drafted for adoption by Arab leaders on developments on the Syrian and Lebanese fronts, though in addition to the usual resolutions calling for Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab territories in the Golan Heights and the Shebaa Farms there will also be an expression of support for "Syria's implementation of the Taif agreement" and a tactful reference to collective Arab support of Lebanese efforts to ensure national unity. According to Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hamoud, "Lebanon is not interested in turning the Syrian-Lebanese file or recent internal developments in Lebanon into an Arab debate". "The Charter of the Arab League preserves the right of Arab states to maintain sovereignty over internal affairs," Hamoud insisted. Al-Moalem insists that the Syrian delegation has made its position on the Lebanese issue clear. "We are committed to the implementation of the Taif agreement. We are not talking about a second Taif. We are pulling out Syrian troops according to a plan. And we hope the implementation of the Taif agreement will not have any negative impacts either on Syria or on Lebanon." That said Al-Moalem refused to be drawn on whether he thinks the withdrawal -- which he concedes has been somewhat hasty -- will open the door to what many fear will be more explosions and counter-explosions. It is now, Al-Moalem says, up to the Lebanese to identify the perpetrators of the attack that shook eastern Beirut in the early hours of Sunday morning and to ensure there are no more explosions. He is not, however, willing to completely exclude the possibility that Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon has reduced levels of overall security and that this reduction could lead to further conflict if the Lebanese fail to agree to a joint agenda for the future. Al-Moalem is far less equivocal, however, in denying any insinuation that Syria will turn a blind eye to security mishaps in Lebanon in order to send out the message that its withdrawal of troops will negatively affect regional security. And there is also a suggestion of Israeli involvement in any potential instability. "There is a wave of terrorism spreading across the Arab world. These acts happen. They hit every Arab country. They have hit Lebanon before and they hit Syria. Mossad was involved." But how might this instability affect Syrian interests in Lebanon? Can he envision a situation in which it will be necessary for troops to return to Lebanon? Al-Moalem is elusive in answering such questions. "We are doing what we are doing now. As for the future, we are not prepared to make forecasts." "Syria," he insists, "knows what it has got to do" to preserve its regional and other interests. "For now Syria is implementing the Taif agreement. And I hope there is no link between the implementation of this agreement and recent events in Lebanon." Does he, then, see a connection between the recent explosion in east Beirut and the heated exchange between Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir and Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hizbullah, over proposals made by the Maronite patriarch in the US for the disarming of Hizbullah? Al-Moalem is circumspect: "I thought Syria was supposed to refrain from any interference in Lebanese internal affairs. Well, this is what we are doing. I am not going to comment on what Sfeir said or the response made by Nasrallah. These are matters for the Lebanese people to discuss among themselves. We are not going to get into this and I do not wish to talk about the matter." He did, however, add that Sfeir's statements suggesting the US administration is helping Middle East stability and that Hizbullah should disarm "are Sfeir's ideas that may not necessarily be shared by many other Lebanese". "I think dialogue is the best route for the Lebanese people. This is the best way to overcome differences and agree on future moves." While keen to avoid any direct reference to individual members of the Syrian-supported Lebanese government, Al-Moalem did refer indirectly to Lebanese President Emil Lahoud's call for national dialogue. Lahoud's close ties with Damascus have been the focus of much anger among the Lebanese opposition. "Syria will support the will of the Lebanese people. What we have been seeing in recent weeks is that the opposition and supporters of the government have been engaging with one another through street demonstrations. What we hope is that they will now go and engage dialogue under the umbrella of their parliament. We are confident that once they initiate the dialogue Lahoud has been calling for they will find enough common ground to help them steer out of harm's way." We hope, says Al- Moalem, "that wisdom will prevail". Are there any circumstances in which Syria might withdraw its support of Lahoud? Al-Moalem offers neither a yes nor a no. It is such equivocation that suggests Damascus is increasingly coming to terms with the changing nature of its relationship with Lebanon. Rejecting any questions that implied a patrician approach towards Lebanon on the part of Damascus, Al- Moalem would annex the familiar formula that "Syria does not wish to interfere in Lebanese affairs." "We think Syria and Lebanon are brotherly countries, and we are not talking at all about big brother. There have been some negative aspects in relations between the two countries -- Syria made mistakes which we are willing to work out for sake of the exceptional relations between these two brotherly states."
