Yesterday, the UN Security Council voted unanimously, to extend for another six months the mandate of the UN investigator looking into the 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

Resolution 1815, which was drafted by France, renewed the mandate, which expires June 15, until December 31.

Michael Young on Hariri's assassination.

Hariri's killing triggered what became known as Lebanon's "Cedar Revolution", where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets for three months demanding that Syria withdraw its army and intelligence agents from their country, after a 29-year presence. Syria's regime is the only serious suspect in the crime ‚ a fact recognised early on by UN investigators who have spent three years preparing a file on the Hariri case for the Leidschendam trial.

Since its birth, Hizballah sabotages the state of Lebanon, in all possible shapes and forms. That is why, Hizballah's latest stunt did not come as a surprise.

Nassim Nisr, who served a six-year prison sentence in Israel on charges of spying for Hezbollah, is now a free man. After being released earlier today, he was handed over to the Red Cross for deportation from Israel into Lebanon shortly before noon. Nisr held Israeli nationality at the time of his arrest in 2002, but reports alternately say that he dropped his Israeli citizenship while in prison, or had it revoked before his deportation.

As the crowds gathering to receive him in South Lebanon suggest, Nisr will receive a hero's welcome , particularly as his release coincides with rumors that a larger prisoner swap between Hezbollah and Israel may be in its final stages. Hezbollah's decision to hand over remains of Israeli soldiers who died during the 2006 war in "exchange" for Nisr will heighten the idea that Hezbollah has won his freedom.”

Haaretz has more on the topic.

The step is not a goodwill gesture, but Hezbollah spin for public opinion in Lebanon,” an Israeli security source said. “This is not part of the prisoner exchange deal, it wasn't coordinated with Israel, and from the beginning our position has been that we will not conduct any negotiations for body parts and we will not agree to trade in body parts, or to pay for them.” According to a senior military official: “At the beginning of the year, Nasrallah spoke and said he had body parts. Israel reacted angrily because he was trading in human parts… Now that we tossed them Nasser, Nasrallah is trying to create the appearance of an achievement in the Lebanese street and show that in exchange for body parts, they get a live person.”

Sheikh Nabil, Hizballah's official in South Lebanon said:

The sincere promise of his eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been fulfilled. Despite all the problems in Lebanon, Hizbullah has never abandoned the cause of the detainees because it is in fact the biggest deposit…There is no complete freedom, no complete sovereignty and no complete dignity as long as there is one detainee in "Israeli’ jails. The detainees are the precise criterion that determines the Arab nature of this Nation. The way to liberate them is through the resistance. As we speak today, we look forward to the very near future when our remaining detainees return home. It will be a great victory for Lebanon and the Arab nation when Samir Qintar and his companions return. Hizbullah and the resistance community announce our love and consolidation with our Palestinian brothers in "Israeli’ jails.

Again, what did Doha accomplish?!

President Suleiman asked Fuad Siniora to form the next cabinet. After appointment, Siniora said among others:

Premier Rafik Hariri is the reason I stand here, and I promise to fulfill my duties in protecting the state and its institutions and confirming the sovereignty of the law and justice through the International Tribunal.

Not surprisingly, FPM, Hizballah and Amal were not too happy about it. Aoun declared “His nomination is a recipe for conflict rather than reconciliation.”

Next step for Siniora is to form the national unity government. The majority will have 16 seats, Hizballah and allies will have 11, and President Suleiman will nominate 3 ministers.

While Siniora and March 14 do their best [and it proved to be not enough] to strengthen state institutions, Hizballah is busy doing something else.

If curious, check what Ali Larijani had to say about the party & Sheikh Nasrallah.

Ali Larijani, the new head of the Iranian Shoura Council, praised Hezbollah for achieving aspects of the teachings of Imam Khomeini and for defending the Wiliayat Al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist).

“Hezbollah's secretary general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in his capacity as Khomeini's spiritual son is viewed as the resistance's impregnable fort against Israel and the US,” Larijani said in his first speech in front of Iran's MPs.

“We consider this regional political victory [achieved by Nasrallah] in Lebanon as the beginning of bigger victories,” he added.

He also described the statements issued by Hezbollah as courageous, good and emanating from the Islamic Revolution.

Yesterday, Hizballah celebrated the “divine victory” it brought upon Lebanon in 2000. As expected, the state was there to show support for the party. Read Sheikh Nasrallah's speech here.
I have nothing against revolutionary minds. That is needed, but who needs hooligans?! Disappointingly, Hizballah is more of a latter. It uses a Lebanese cover, while promoting foreign interests. Mohammad Akhtari said in the interview that both Amal and Hizballah have “one ideology and belong to the same sect.” Two faces of the same coin: Iran's Khomeinist Revolution.

Those who were able to drag the country into war, can do it again, at a time of their choice. Doha agreement buried the March 14 spring, and with it, the chance of having a sovereign Lebanon. At least, not in the immediate future.

This line says it all, “Iran President Ahmadinejad felicitates Hizbullah leader Nasrallah on new president”

General Michel Suleiman has been elected today as Lebanon's President. Finally! He is the “compromise” candidate.  Not very encouraging, however, Lebanon has seen worst.

This is his first discourse as President.

• I call on you all, political forces and citizens, to build a Lebanon we all agree on, setting the interests of Lebanon above our individual interests.
• If it is important that the electoral law provide just representation of the people, it is even more important, then, that the results of the elections be accepted.
• We must acknowledge the rights of the Lebanese abroad.
• We still confirm our commitment to and respect for all UN resolutions especially for the martyr Rafik Hariri and all our martyrs.
• The continuation of Israeli aggressions necessitates the creation of a defense strategy which allows us to make use of the resistance's experience.
• We await brotherly relations between Lebanon and Syria, with mutual respect for the sovereignty of each [country].
• The Palestinian cause cannot be used as a pretext for any armament that defies national security.
• The continuation of the resistance depends on the people's need for [the resistance], and its achievements should not be used by internal struggles.
• We paid a high price for our national unity, so let us preserve it hand in hand for God unites us.

Not bad for the first day in office. Nonetheless, there is a long way from words to action.

March 8 and March 14 reached an agreement.

The terms were:

• Electing Michel Suleiman as President by the end of this week

• Formation of a government based on a 16-11-3 formula (16 for the majority, 11 for the opposition and 3 to be chosen by the president)

• end of the sit in in downtown Beirut

• Adoption of the Qada-based 1960 electoral law such as Beirut is divided into three constituencies for one time only

Changing the electoral law from the Syrian imposed one to that of 1960 is a step in the right direction for the Christians. However, I still believe that Fuad Boutros law is the best alternative.

Hizballah's weapons did not make it into the deal, although Ex-MP Ghattas Khoury, a member of the March 14 delegation said in an interview from Doha, that “Only the Lebanese Army should have weapons”, and “We don't want to be dominated by an armed militia and we don't want a civil war.”

Hizballah and Amal won (more than others anyway), but they did it at the expense of all Lebanese, Shia included. It was a sad day for Lebanon, and I am astonished that some hurried to celebrate. What is there to celebrate?! That Tehran and Damascus *(with the support of Israel - it is not a coincidence that Israel and Syria admitted publicly the talks on Golan) trashed Lebanon's sovereignty as a state? The problems are still there and this is the calm before the storm.

*What irony for Tehran&friends (Hizballah and Amal), the embodiment of the Islamic Revolution, to be nolens volens in the same camp with Israel…

PS. An interesting interview on Hizballah, Amal and the decades long cooperation between Iran and Syria.

DOHA, Qatar, May 21 (UPI) — Lebanese opposition movements and the Western-backed government declared a deal Wednesday in Qatar to end the 18-month political conflict and elect a president.

The Shiite opposition and the Lebanese government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora agreed to elect Lebanese army chief Gen. Michel Suleiman as president within 24 hours, give Hezbollah veto power in the Cabinet and adopt an electoral law that reflects a sectarian power-sharing arrangement, The New York Times said.

Qatari authorities in Doha said the arrangement paves the way for a unity government with 16 Cabinet positions for the ruling majority, 11 for the opposition, including Hezbollah, and three seats nominated by Suleiman.

A new electoral law mandates all parties to “commit themselves not to use weapons or violence in order to achieve political gains under any circumstances,” however that language leaves the status of Hezbollah weapons ambiguous, the Times said.

The relationship between Lebanon and the U.N. investigation into the Feb. 14, 2005, assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 10 others was left unresolved as well, the Times said.

The talks put an end to weeks of violence rocking Lebanon. Hezbollah fighters took to the streets May 7 when the Siniora government announced its opposition to the movement's private telecommunications network.

A delegation of leaders from a roundtable summit in Qatar urged Lebanon to form a unity government as soon as possible to recover from the latest conflict pitting the Shiite opposition, including Hizballah, against the western-backed Sunni government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Qatari emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani met with Siniora and Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, the top opposition leader, during the weekend.  The summit produced two measures of reconciliation; new election laws and a power-sharing agreement for a unity government.  The Qatari delegates urged Lebanese officials to position Michel Suleiman, the chief of the Lebanese army, as the next president and delay new electoral laws. Proposals for the unity government include the distribution of 13 ministerial seats to the Sunni majority, 10 from the opposition movements and seven posts appointed by a new president.

The delegation became tense during the weekend over the issue of Hizballah weapons.  Their lawmaker Mohammed Raad said in a televised statement that the issue of weapons “is not up for discussion” while the Qatari delegation suggested including provisions banning militant weapons.  Akram Shehaib with the Druze delegation, however, moved away from the hard line demand on the issue instead opting for language banning weapons used “against the Lebanese people.”

Opposition and Lebanese government officials planned to meet Friday in the Qatari capital Doha for a national dialogue hosted by the Arab Leaque.  The meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m. EST, seeks an end to some of the worst political violence in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war. 

Leaders from Hizballah and the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora agreed Thursday to hold negotiations to elect a new president and form a unity government.  Lebanon has been without a president since Emile Lahoud stepped down in November.

Arab League ministers brokered a six-point plan to “shore up the authority of the Lebanese state,” end political violence and called on all fighters to lay down their weapons.  The agreement also calls for an end to rhetoric that could spark further violence and the removal of check points and road blocks.  Fighters were seen removing the blockades to the Beirut airport Friday and flights resumed almost immediately. 

Siniora lifted measures Wednesday condemning Hizballah's private phone network and other telecommunication infrastructure.

The Lebanese parliament meets June 10 for its 20^th attempt at electing a new president. Opposition leaders and the Siniora government agree on Gen. Michel Sulieman, the chief of the Lebanese army, for the presidential post, but differences remain over the make up of a unity government and laws governing parliamentary elections.

There are many things to be said about the crisis Lebanon goes through. An update here.

Sami Nader said back in 2007 that there are two competing visions in Lebanon. In the past 10 days the struggle moved from the political arena to the streets. The government backed down in front of Hizballah, AMAL and their allies. Maybe because it felt it does not have enough international support. And truth be told, it doesn't.

However, March 14 managed to prove the world what AMAL and Hizballah are capable of, and that they are willing to turn the arms against their own. This was not civil disobedience as Hizballah pretends. It was an attempt of a coup d’etat. The army acted poorly. In the 12th hour it decided to fulfill its constitutional duties, and that because of the increasing international pressure. The army's role is to protect the citizens and the state from both internal and external enemies. It did not. General Michel Suleiman come up with a lame excuse that the army under his command preferred to stay neutral. Am I to understand that the army preferred to disobey the laws?! Because that is what the army did. There is a cold truce for now that, in my opinion, can go anytime to a hot conflict. I hope I am wrong.

This is a well written op-ed on Lebanon's state of affairs. If I were to draw an awareness campaign after the article, I’d emphasize the following :

“Sortir de la propagande. Assure la représentativité de la société plurielle. Assure la réforme du systeme politique. La révolution des cedres est une priorité nationale. Réinventer une opposition. Réinventer le Liban.”