News says that Walid Jumblatt just headed to Paris, and so has Ghazi Aridi, Nayla Moawwad and Ghattas Khoury. And so who's there right now? Marwan Hamade, Gibran Tueini, Elias Murr, Giselle Khoury, Saad Hariri, Ghassan Salame, Johnny Abdo, and who else?....Berri was there too, some few weeks ago. Is journalist Ali Hamade still there?...
So...what makes Paris a safer place than Lebanon? I mean, they all get to meet and talk with one another; something that is almost impossible to do back home. But I'm curious: if someone's life is threatened, is it only threatened in one geographic location? Well, it just seems that there is this assumption that the "assassinators" cannot travel, do not have the outreach....
What about the French? Are they providing security services to each and every Lebanese politician/journalist staying in Paris right now? Is it for a price, or have the French taxpayers agreed to the importance and value of protecting Lebanese politicians?...
Many questions in my head...in the hopes of getting your insights. I watched the movie "The Constant Gardener" two days ago and it almost gave me a close look at what happens to people when a "death contract" has been issued on their life; it's not a joke, it is indeed very real. But the "assassinators" in that movie go anywhere the victim goes equipped with the mission to end the victim's life.
I believe that there a couple of heroes in Lebanon right now. One of them is PM Seniora. He's still in Lebanon, while half of his Cabinet is out being hosted by Paris. The other hero is the Lebanese person...who is still persevering in the midst of uncertainty.
"Nobody knows how many rebellions, besides political rebellions, ferment in the masses of life which people earth."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Well, I guess it depends on how the assassinations are being carried out. If it was just a hit (i.e. sniper), then maybe it would be able to go internatiol. But a car bomb isn't that easy to move to another country. Especially when moving to another country implies a change in ones habits.
You should also know that Shihabi, Khaddam and Turki El Faisal are rumored to be in Paris also. It all smells of deal making to me.
This assassination stuff is just a smokescreen.
Issam
My suspicion is that it is some kind of deal making that will shape Lebanon's future in the near to mid term.
All those politicians in France, including the LF. Jumblatt seems to be visiting Hizballah as a mediator/coordinator between the two teams (as Hassan referred to them). I wonder if Aoun has some representatives there, and if not, what his role is going to be.
Who is Shibabi? He sounds familiar. Also, is Khaddam there as a representative of the regime? Doha informed me that a Lebanese news paper has reported that Bashar's father-in-law wants his grandchildren in London (don't ask me how they got that info!)...
Anyways, it looks like there are some major decisions and compromises being made at the moment in Paris. Moreover, I don't think the hosts are merely hosts... I suspect that the French have a big say in things, and that the European-Iranian negotiations concerning Iranian Nuclear ambitions is definitely a factor in all of this!
i think raja and issam are probably right. but regardless-- whether everyone's there for deal-making, safety, or both-- the chances of an assassination on french soil are probably pretty low. aside from logistical problems, attacking a foreign diplomat in france would automatically make the french players in the crisis, and they'd have one hell of a score to settle. the french would probably do a better job with forensic evidence, too.
although i know that the exodus to france isn't really about security, i am disheartened by the implication that lebanese politicians consider it acceptable to abandon their people en masse in times of crisis. so i agree with your choice of heros du jour, doha.
Hikmat Al-shihabi is the former chief of staff who was dismissed by Bashar. Both he and Khaddam are Sunnis but have kept close relations with Alawite officers. They also have an old relationship with the Saudis and the Hariris.
You are right Raja . They are all trying to get some of the crumbs. This is Sykes-Picot deja-vu. The French have a major say in what is going to happen in their former colonies while the Americans will continue to blunder in Iraq along with the British.
Iran is the main target for both of them. Lebanon , Syria and Iraq are only the prelude.
Issam
Doha
One note, Ali Hmadeh is still there. He wrote something in Today's Annahar and signed it "Ali Hmadeh-Paris"
It seems obvious that they are all in paris for security reasons... its not safe for them in lebanon or syria....kanaan's dead, and it would have been one of them in paris if they weren't there.
Post a Comment