Gebran Tueni killed, Lebanon cries foul

BEIRUT - Alternative Staff

January/February 2006

The Syrian terrorism on Lebanon reached a new peak with the killing of Beirut MP and prominent journalist Gebran Tueni in December. The attack came after weeks of prevailing optimism in the country.

"A terrorist regime that is trying to change the democratic nature of our system is launching a war against us," said Saad Hariri, head of the biggest parliamentary bloc and son of slain premier Rafic Hariri.

"The Syrian regime is swimming in a stormy sea on its own. It used to have friends and people willing to help it before February 14 [the date of the killing of his father] and many people advised this regime, but they [the Syrians], did not listen and now they are harvesting the seeds that they had sown," he added during an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel in late December.

Hariri's attack on the Syrian regime came days after his closest ally, Walid Jumblatt, had called for the toppling of the Syrian regime. "[The Syrian President] is a sick man," Jumblatt, who like Hariri is one of the March 14 pillars, said.

For the first time since the killing of his father, late leader Kamal Jumblatt, in 1977, Walid accused the Syrians of killing him. "They killed my father and they are set to kill us all. Their plan is to kill six or seven MPs of the March 14 bloc and by doing so, they give their allies in Lebanon a parliamentary majority," Jumblatt told the Abu-Dhabi satellite station.

Hariri and Jumblatt were not alone in accusing Syria of the killings and assassination attempts that include the bombing of Communications Minister Marwan Hamade's car and that of TV figure May Chidiac as well as the killing of Rafic Hariri, journalists Samir Kassir and Gebran Tueni and politician George Hawi.

Also accusing Syria were groups such as the Democratic Left Movement and its Tripoli MP Elias Atallah, the Lebanese Forces and its leader Samir Geagea as well as MPs from Hariri's and Jumblatt's bloc. The March 14 factions also belittled an initiative by the head of the Arab League Amr Moussa.

"What dialogue are we talking about? While the Lebanese are talking the Syrians are shooting at them," said Saad Hariri.

But the Syrian threat and the Lebanese counter-offensive through media did not mean that the Lebanese were in unison facing the Syrian danger.

On top of the pro-Syria bloc came former opposition figure and head of the Christian parliamentary bloc Michel Aoun.

Aoun, whose sole aim is to find his way to becoming Lebanese president, took aim at the government blaming it for the death of Tueni. Like in previous killings, Aoun stopped short at blaming Syria and instead blamed the government. "In doing so, Aoun was conveying two messages," according to Jirji Antun, a political analyst.

"First, he wants to tell the Lebanese that he is the only person who would be able to achieve stable security in the country, should he be elected president," Antun argued. "And second, such stance makes Aoun win credit with the pro-Syria allies whose votes are needed when he nominates himself for president."

Next to Aoun of course come Syria's traditional allies including Hizbullah and the Amal Movement who might seem to be supporting Aoun, but never as far as announcing that he would be their candidate to the presidency.

Meanwhile, an over-confident Aoun went as far as calling for a cabinet reshuffle and early elections. In the new cabinet, Aoun told Al-Manar TV that he would be "representing the Maronites alone because if the other Maronite pole Geagea comes on board, the cabinet should be enlarged up to 18 ministers."

Echoing Aoun's words were other Syrian allies such as the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) whose Secretary-General Khaled Hdadeh visited Aoun and commended him after the visit saying that Aoun was the only politician "who was not interested in sectarianism and the division of spoils!"

Even though the LCP sometime depicts itself as a third line that is not involved with either March 14 or Syria's Lebanese protégés, its leadership’s behavior has always turned out to be inline with that of Syria's allies. In parliamentary elections in June, the LCP candidates in the North stroke alliances with Aoun and other Syrian puppets such as former MP Suleiman Franjieh.

With the division between the March 14 forces and Aoun reaching a peak, the LCP clearly took the Aoun-Syrian side.