The Gazette and the 1952 Revolution (205). ‘Lebanon is still waiting'. In the mid-1950s, the Lebanese regime of President Camille Shamoun and Foreign Minister Charles Malik manoeuvred to align Lebanon overtly with Western security projects at a time when Arab nationalist currents were running strong. Chamoun was publicly accused of seeking to align Lebanon with the Western-Sponsored Baghdad Pact. Chamoun chose close alignment with the West led by the US and was the only Arab Head of State to come out in open support of the Eisenhower Doctrine in 1957 (this would be the subject of a separate forthcoming article in this series). For this, his Administration was rewarded by with American financial and other support, often channeled through the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 1955, it was not the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies, but rather fear of popular protest that checked Chamoun's desire to bring Lebanon into the Baghdad Pact. The Parliament elected in 1957, in what opposition politicians claimed was a rigged election, supported Lebanon's adherence to the Eisenhower Doctrine. Following a brief civil war in 1958, the new President General Fouad Shehab, steered the country's foreign policy back towards a centrist stance friendly towards Egypt, Syria (which early in had in 1958 had merged into the United Arab Republic), the US and France, but tied to none of them. Shehab understood that Lebanon's domestic environment of pluralistic power-sharing required such a position.The following citations from The Egyptian Gazette may help illustrate the Lebanese attitude towards the Baghdad Pact at different stages.The newspaper's issue of February 16, 1955 carried a report headlined: Lebanon is ‘still waiting' It said: “The Lebanese Foreign Minister, Sayyed Alfred Naccahe, said today that the Lebanese government was still waiting for official information concerning the sate of the signing of the Turco-Iraqi pact. “Meanwhile, it is learned that Sayyed Camille Shamoun, the Lebanese president is consulting Lebanese politicians on Lebanon's attitude in the event of signing the proposed pact between Turkey and Iraq. Dr. Fadel el-Jamaly, the special envoy of Sayyed Nuri el-Said, the Iraqi prime minister, arrived in Beirut today from Damascus. Yesterday, Sayyed Alfred Naccache received the Turkish Minister (Ambassador) in Beirut. It is learned they discussed the question of the proposed Turco-Iraqi pact and President Shamoun's visit to Ankara next month.” Meanwhile, The Egyptian Gazette of October 5, 1955 published a Lebanese Policy Statement reflecting Lebanon's wavering. The paper said: “The new Lebanese government of Sayyed Rashid Karamy announced in a statement of policy in the Chamber of Deputies that it would work for the strengthening of the Lebanon's relations with the Arab countries, the consolidation of the Arab League and the establishment of a pact comprising all the Arab countries to serve Arab interests, provided that such a pact did not extend the commitments of some Arab states (reference to Iraq) under existing treaties to those members of the proposed pact which have no such treaty obligations. “The pact would also be a practical instrument for Arab unity in defence of Arab rights and attitudes towards the common enemy Israel. The statement added: it is our policy to help each Arab country to safeguard its sovereignty and realise its sacred national aspirations.” The Egyptian Gazette of October 6, 1955 reported a ‘Conditional US Arms offer to Lebanon'. It said: “The United States has offered to supply arms to the Lebanon subject to certain reservations, it is learned here (Beirut) tonight. The offer was made by George V. Allen, Assistant US Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, when he called on the Lebanese Prime Minister, Sayyed Rashid Karamy today. “Allen is reported to have told Sayyed Karamy that the United States would be willing to supply armaments provided that the Lebanan signed an agreement with the United States under the Mutual Security Act passed by the American Congress in 1954 under which recipient countries undertake not to use the supplied arms except in self-defence. “Sayyed Karamy is said to have replied that the Lebanon wanted arms without strings attached and that if any conditions were to be made, they should be reasonable. “The American offer comes hard on the heels of Allen's visit to Cairo where he discussed with Premier Gamal Abdul Nasser Egypt's arms deal with Czechoslovakia. “Sayyed Karamy and Allen discussed the Egyptian-Czech agreement at today's meeting which was also attended by Sayyed Salim Lahoud, the Foreign Minister, and Sayyed Fouad Ammoun, the Secretary General of the Goreign Ministry. “Allen is reported to have told the Lebanese leaders that America would be willing to supply arms to Egypt. He told reporters he was ‘happy' about the outcome of his talks with Lebanese leaders. Asked whether America would offer arms to the Arab countries, including the Lebanon, Allen declined to reply. “I cannot say anything on this subject before reporting to Dulles (US Secretary of State) on the results of my conversations with the Lebanese and Egyptian leaders,” he said. [email protected]
