France Complains of Lebanese Leaderships’ Lack of Vision on Iranian, Syrian Developments
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Naharnet Exclusive Report - Paris
High-ranking French officials have complained that the Lebanese leaderships have not devised a clear way to deal with the repercussions the Iranian and Syrian developments may have on the internal Lebanese scene.
A concerned French diplomatic source told Naharnet from Paris that French officials have asked several Lebanese political, party, and spiritual figures a number of questions on their view of the future in Lebanon in light of French attempts to find ways to help Lebanon confront the pressures it is facing.
The French presidency and Foreign Ministry were “shocked” to find that none of these leaderships had a clear vision of dealing with the upcoming phase on the political, economic, and security levels, revealed the source.
It added: “The Lebanese officials have asked us about our positions on Syria, Iran, and Hizbullah and we explained it to them. Unfortunately however, none of whom we met has been able to present us with a clear and comprehensive vision of the policy Lebanon will adopt in tackling the negative repercussions regional developments may have on the country.”
The diplomatic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that none of Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, and various March 14 officials have a clear plan and mechanism to tackle the next phase in Lebanon.
“They all come complaining to us, whether directly or indirectly, of Syria, Iran, and Hizbullah,” it remarked.
They all want to know if the international community will act decisively with these sides, but none of them gave a clear answer to how the Lebanese will act if Syrian President Bashar Assad remained in power or was toppled, it said.
None of them had an answer to Hizbullah’s fate if Assad remained in rule or stepped down, or if Iran maintained its power or became weakened, added the source.
“France or the United States cannot replace the role of the Lebanese in preparing themselves for the changes in the region because these changes cannot benefit the idea of the state and the constitutional institutions unless the Lebanese were ready, on the internal scene, to reap the fruits of freedom and democracy on the Arab scene,” it noted.
“The Lebanese had wasted more than one opportunity in the past to achieve this goal, the last of which was the 2005 independence intifada, and nothing prevents a similar scenario from taking place again,” it concluded.
08 November 2011, 19:41
80
How many people in Lebanon care what this "French source" thinks?
08 November 2011, 19:48
22
I don't care what the French think but it's been obvious for 40 years that our people have ZERO leadership nad vision.
08 November 2011, 20:06
15
The current Lebanese gov't will not do anything, and prevented the former gov't from doing anything at gun point. The world is going to dismantle this axis, first by rolling ASSad and allowing a gov't to come in that by nature will be hostile to the Hezz for what they have done to the protesters there.
08 November 2011, 20:06
16
The current Lebanese gov't will not do anything, and prevented the former gov't from doing anything at gun point. The world is going to dismantle this axis, first by rolling ASSad and allowing a gov't to come in that by nature will be hostile to the Hezz for what they have done to the protesters there.
08 November 2011, 21:19
03
France, welcome to our world. Lebanon is bedrift of leadership. The levers of government are in the hands of Hezbollah. The rest of the political parties and their leadership is either feeding itself off of Hezbollah's power (FPM, AMAL, Marada, Mikati, Rai) or is futilely attempting to resist Hezbollah (M14) The government party is out of power and a militia dependent on Syria and loyal to Iran has seized the levers of governmental power such as they are.
Is there any wonder that France has found Lebanon to be in this shape?
Of course this is no excuse. Those out of power, M14 have a duty to themselves, their constituency and to the Nation to be prepared, as a government in exile, not only to resume power, but to have a realistic agenda for action to secure the nation once that is done.
Who leads M14? Hariri who makes his home in Saudi Arabia?
Jumblatt maybe who is more concerned with his tribe than with the nation?
Geagea whom Aounists hate?
Gemayel whose day is over?
08 November 2011, 21:32
03
The true leaders of the nation have been depleted through a process of attrition by assassination perpetrated by the autocrat who governs Syria and the theocrat that governs Iran.
Musa Sadr was killed at the hands of Gadaffi for the Shia
Rafiq Hariri was killed at the hands of Khamenie for the Sunni
Kamal Jumblatt was killed at the hands of Hafez al Assad, for the Druze
Bashir Gemayel was killed by the Syrians for the Christians
Gebran Tueini was killed by the Syrians for the Christians
The best Lebanon had to offer in terms of leadership are all in their graves, only those not worth killing have been left.
We need in Lebanon a new generation to step forward and to take up the standard left by Sadr, Jumblatt, Hariri, Gemayel and Tueini to again lead the nation.
08 November 2011, 22:27
04
On the contrary
Lebanese officials have a clear policy that served them for 4000 years.
When winds of change blows they keep their heads down and don't side with any party. After things settle down and a winner emerges, they will applaud the Winner.
I guess the French source didn't understand that the lebanese leaders are in the first stage, awaiting to see who the winner will be
09 November 2011, 07:53
04
While not wanting to take sides...its ABUNDANTLY clear that the last government was held hostage by the current governing factions. While I think they had good aspirations for lebanon they had their hands tied. Now the other side is in power and appears nothing more than a flakey curtain for the syrian, iranian, hizbollah agenda. What a waste of the Middle Easts most potentially dynamic nation.
09 November 2011, 13:32
02
what the outside world should know is the de facto situation they put in place here nullefies the capability of any side to make concrete realistic plans....
09 November 2011, 13:53
02
Mais la France officielle a-t-elle une vision claire de sa politique au Liban? Mis à part les formules récurrentes d'appui à la souveraineté et à l'indépendance, d'égale distance de toutes les parties, etc., formules néanmoins accompagnées d'appuis au "Gouvernement" Mikati, notoirement, intégralement fabriqué et imposé par le Gang Assad? Sans compter le rôle, non négligeable, joué par M. Sarkozy et ses conseillers, dans le retour du Gang Assad au Liban. Sans doute qu'une politique française plus clairement déterminée serait de nature à sortir les Libanais (14 mars) de leur végétativité politique.
09 November 2011, 14:12
03
Anonymous TX you made me lagh. Its sooooo true. The phoenecians never had a kingdom of thier own as I remember. They just accepted whomever came to rule them as long as they were allowed to sail the world and trade.
09 November 2011, 14:12
30
1. Sarko is history
2. France is history
3. France is almost bankrupt
4. France was aiding Ben Ali till the last minute. France was not even aware he had fled
who lacks vision?
09 November 2011, 14:40
31
Lack of vision = getting involved in illegal wars that result in the murder of hundreds of thousands of innocent souls = supporting, training and funding groups that will eventually turn around and inflict the most criminal of acts against them = never learning from their own mistakes = having the most unqualified jerks become presidents (Well, in this one, Lebanon is on equal footing with them) = bringing the economies in their own countries to a disastrous level (here, too, Lebanon is equal, thanks to Rafic Syria and Saniora, his rafic)
Now back to the genius, Gabby. My friend, ASSad is still in power one month after he was supposed to have fallen per your predictions a-la-Dr. Falso (like master, like idiot). Can you please explain WHILE you take a break from predicting even more? We want the truth, AND WE DEMAND IT NOW my friend!!!
09 November 2011, 14:41
04
French resources might have to speak in Persian to get the so called Lebanese majority to understand...
Any volunteers?
09 November 2011, 17:10
00
Elie
That is true, whenever the Phoenicians get fed up with their current invader they would call upon a new one to come in and replace the current one.
Fast forward 4000 years and Lebanese are still doing the same, inviting syrians to kick Palestinians out, then inviting Israelis to kick syrians out, then inviting multinational force to kick Israelis out, then inviting syrians/Iranians to kick multinationals out, etc...
