Egypt joins Geneva negotiations on Global Plastics Treaty, calls for urgent agreement    Egypt delivers over 30 million health services through public hospitals in H1 2025    Madinet Masr in talks for three land plots in Riyadh as part of Saudi expansion    Egypt's PM tells Palestinian PM that Rafah crossing is working 24/7 for aid    Egypt, Japan discuss economic ties, preparations for TICAD conference    Real Estate Developers urge flexible land pricing, streamlined licensing, and dollar-based transactions    Egypt's Sisi pledges full state support for telecoms, tech investment    EGP inches down vs. USD at Sunday's trading close    EGX launches 1st phone app    Escalation in Gaza, West Bank as Israeli strikes continue amid mounting international criticism    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    After Putin summit, Trump says peace deal is best way to end Ukraine war    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Jordan condemns Israeli PM remarks on 'Greater Israel'    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



What happens now after Resolution 1757?
Published in Daily News Egypt on 05 - 06 - 2007

UN Security Council Resolution 1757, passed on Wednesday to establish a mixed Lebanese-international court to try suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others in February 2005, has sparked intense and justified debate. This is indeed a historic resolution, especially coupled with the international investigation into the murders and other bombings that have plagued Lebanon in recent years. The confusing truth is that the positions of both the resolution's supporters and opponents are correct to a large extent: the resolution promises justice and an end to impunity for the as-yet unidentified killers and bombers; it infringes on Lebanese sovereignty; it exacerbates existing domestic political polarization between the government and the opposition; it targets Syria and its friends in Lebanon; it ravages the Lebanese legacy of consensus-based national policy-making; and, it offers all Lebanese an opportunity to rally around a new political idea in order to move their country forward again. As such the resolution is merely one more facet of the fundamental ideological war that has defined Lebanon and the Middle East for the past few years. Resolution 1757, like the handful of other United Nations resolutions before it on Lebanon, is about the exercise of power as much as it is about the administration of justice. The power in question is that of the United States, the Lebanese government and their allies in the region, against Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and their friends. The American-led forces that invaded Iraq in 2003 offered one model of bringing about political change in the region, and it has been an ugly sight. The use of UN resolutions in Lebanon (and Iran) is the other option now being attempted. The ultimate political aim is the same: to use diplomatic means to break the Syrian regime or force a Libya-style complete reversal of its policies - like the Iraqi regime was broken militarily. The use of UN Security Council resolutions to achieve this aim is legitimate in the eyes of the world, for two important reasons: a majority of Lebanese clearly wanted to see an end to Syrian domination of their country in 2005, and the same majority wants to stop the decades-old cycle of unsolved assassinations and bombings. The use of UN resolutions brings all these different issues into one process, which is why the positions of both supporters and opponents are correct. The core issue at hand is to bring to justice those who killed Hariri and the other victims, but the political contours of that aim are anchored firmly in accusations that Syria is involved in these crimes. Syria's insists it is innocent, yet it vehemently opposes the international court that would seem to be the best way to affirm its innocence. Targeting Syria axiomatically means targeting its friends and allies in Lebanon, such as Hezbollah, and its friends in the near abroad, like Iran. They will all fight back and try to quash this process, but they face a widespread global, regional and Lebanese demand to end the impunity of the killers and bombers who have terrorized Lebanon for so long. The vote to establish the court comes at a time when the regional diplomatic dynamics in the Middle East are in flux. Americans, Syrians, Iranians and Saudis all simultaneously meet and negotiate, even as they remain aggressive and hostile toward one another. New relationships and accommodations may well surface in the coming months, centered on the need to stabilize Iraq, remove foreign troops there, resolve the Iranian nuclear issue, and make a serious new effort to resolve the Arab-Israeli crisis. The continued proliferation of Al-Qaeda-like extremist groups throughout the region, such as Fatah Al-Islam in Lebanon, represents a new threat and prod to action for all. Such groups reflect the consequences of allowing the Middle East to drift in its sea of spiraling and increasingly inter-connected conflicts. Many in Lebanon and abroad accuse Syria of sponsoring Fatah Al-Islam, which Syria again denies. Americans, and some Europeans and Arabs, see Syria and Iran as the vortex of conflict-promotion and mischief-making in the region, which is why they have worked so diligently in recent years to break the back of the regimes in Damascus and Tehran. Resolution 1757 is the latest weapon in this war, and it is potent because it enjoys international and regional legitimacy, due to the prevalent Lebanese demand to bring the killers and bombers to justice. The rigorous international investigation underway and the judicial trial to follow will reveal who is guilty or innocent. In the meantime, we should not confuse the two core dynamics of this process: the noble pursuit of justice for Lebanon, and the brutal exercise of antagonistic state power by the US, Syria, Iran and interested others, who will either reach a political accommodation soon, or recklessly fight to the death and leave this region - starting with Iraq and Lebanon - a devastated wasteland.
Rami G. Khouriwrites for THE DAILY STAR

Clic here to read the story from its source.