Wednesday, May 31, 2006

I would like to see a letter from the UN to Premire Seniora

Have you ever heard of a sickly, short, school kid who goes up to a student twice his size, kick him where the sun don't shine in front of everyone to see, and then run to the Principal to complain about the humiliating beating he suffered as a consequence?

What would you do if you were the Principal? Or allow me to contextualize this scenario a little more: What would you do if the kid came to you, and with a straight face, told you that he really couldn't control his limbs? He tells you, teary eyed, that "every time I get near someone, either one of my legs or arms involuntarily swings at that person's groins or face. And then I get a severe beating because of my damn limbs!!!!"

I know what I would do. I'd tell him that if he repeated that stunt one more time, he'd suffer severe punishment on top of the beating he usually gets. If, on the other hand, I somehow figured that he wasn't messing around, I'd send him to doctor as quickly as I could.

On a more serious note however; this "letter-sending" by Fouad el Seniora is a tad worrying. First, let us take a look at some of the disclosed content. Both Ya Libnan and Naharnet quote the al Mustaqbal Newspaper (which for its part quoted a diplomatic source) claim that the text "emphasizes that as long as Israel continues to occupy Lebanese territory, the resistance, or Hizballah will keep up its operations against the Jewish state...."

My question is: what Lebanese territory? Whatever happened to the demand that Syria demarcate its borders with Lebanon so that it becomes clear which land is ours and which there's? That braniac of a man we call Berri, highlights land deeds showing that Lebanese are indeed the property owners in the Shebaa Farms area. Well, if I owned a house or 10,000 houses in London, would that mean that London should be under my sovereignty? So why now? Why is Seniora now stipulating that Shebaa is Lebanese? And if this is a favor he’s doing for Hizballah, why isn’t Hassouni reciprocating by publicly requesting that the Syrians demarcate their borders with us?

Fellow bloggers Abu Qais and Anton Efendi believe that we may be returning to the bad old days of accommodation. They suggest that Future is doing its best to return to the arrangement it had with Hizballah prior to the assassination of Hariri Sr. One can never be sure of such matters, especially considering UN resolution 1559 and all the ensuing UN resolutions that have passed over the past year.

Nevertheless, I find myself worried. If the Lebanese Army could not eliminate those pesky Palestinians carrying weapons in the South and the Bekaa, and setting up checkpoints (yes, I saw a Palestinian checkpoint on LBC the other night) how the hell are we supposed to expect them to take on Hizballah? I sense a compromise with Hizballah is around the corner - and this "letter" that Seniora just sent to the UN might be the first draft of a public document similar to that which Hizballah and the Tayyar concocted a few months ago.

If I were Kofi Annan, and I received Seniora's complaint, I would take it out in front of the world's cameras and rip it to pieces. Then I'd declare that, as the Secretary General of the United Nations, I urge Lebanon’s Prime Minister to control the loose cannons in his own territory before complaining about Israeli cannons.


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Raja,

Thanks for a nice post. I, however, disagree with you regarding the main premise of your argument.

PM Siniora's letter to the UN was a must. Although I agree that it will not bring Lebanon anything tangible, it does have important political implications

Mainly, it serves to document that the Lebanese government is ready and willing to take a clear stance against Israeli agression anytime, anyday. This dispels the notion that being anti-Syrian means being pro-Israeli, and strips the Lahoudists of their claim that the majority in govt is soft on national security.

FGA

Anonymous said...

Raja,

I myself would like to see more affirmative action from the Seniora government, and would like to see them acting like the majority that they are. Although I would not dare argue with FGA too much so that he doesn't call me a Lahoudist :) Plus he does have a point.

Kelly K

Anonymous said...

I think Kofi and Foof need a little more heart to heart time. Last I heard Kofi was threatening to leave Foof since he forgot to celebrate their anniversary. Not a smart move. Kofi needs to realize that Foof needs his space once in a while, while Foof needs to recognize Kofi for his care and affection by taking her out for dinner and showering her with gifts and kickbacks. It's the only way their relationship will survive... unless of course you want to go the path of counselling. That's gonna get ugly though... remember what happened in Foof's last breakup with Michelle? look at the two now... they barely talk.

JoseyWales said...

Good piece Raja.

Now, someone please let me know when the letter goes out, so that I know our nation is finally safe and secure.

From Saniora/Lahoud on down: buffoons.

Anonymous said...

Raja,
Throughout your articles you seem so sure that cheb3a is not lebanese. How come? What makes you so sure?

Also my understanding of the useless 7iwar thingy is that they all know and agree that sheb3a is lebanese but want to do the tarsim with Syria in order to put it under 425. In that regards, Sanyoura is not saying something new.

Pat.

Anonymous said...

So the FPM has an official position regarding the Syrian warrants posted on their website. They unequivocally reject them...in a manner akin to the camouflaged half hand-raise / half hand-stretch technique.

"Malla Rjail".

-FGA

Anonymous said...

A must read:

http://www.alshiraa.com/alshiraa/details.asp?iss=1239&cat=2&art=1&id=9609