Diana Moukalled/Arab News: Aoun’s message to Arabs: Lebanon is a helpless country

 Aoun’s message to Arabs: Lebanon is a helpless country
Diana Moukalled/Arab News/Saturday 14 January 2017

 In a recent interview with Al Arabiya TV, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said: “The issue of (Hezbollah’s) weapons has now become part of the Middle East crisis, which involves the US, Russia, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. This issue is so formidable that it exceeds the Lebanese state’s ability to address it.” It seems Aoun will use what he said as a pretext to strike a balance between his inability to deter Hezbollah’s arsenal of weapons and its dangerous repercussions on the one hand, and his desire to ease tensions with Arab countries due to the party’s policies and roles on the other.

There is probably an undeclared desire among all parties to exceed the Lebanese state’s inability in this regard and maintain stability and close ties with Arab countries. Undoubtedly, Aoun’s visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar managed to heal a rift that soured Lebanon’s relationship with both countries due to previous positions of Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, Aoun’s son-in-law, who opposed Arab official decisions taken at several meetings. In addition, the presidential vacuum at the time aggravated the situation, negatively impacting the whole of Lebanon.

It seems Aoun has decided to cautiously tread on a minefield, which Lebanon’s new government has to go through. He took the first step by seeking to restore relations with Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia.
President Aoun is trying to present himself as fundamentally different from Gen. Aoun. He always evades the press to avoid embarrassing questions that could make him lose his temper and talk nervously. His controversial statements have remarkably decreased, and a policy of containment has prevailed, even temporarily.

But Lebanese internal “harmony” will only postpone the problem, not solve it. Attempts to strike a balance in Lebanon’s regional relations, which Aoun is seemingly trying to achieve, will pose difficult questions. Continued silence, ignoring or even claiming inability regarding Hezbollah’s operations in Syria will only result in more crises, no matter how this issue is contained locally.
How can Lebanon accept the killing of hundreds of Lebanese youths in Syria in a regional project that does not recognize borders and violates state sovereignty? Since Hezbollah is the de facto power in Lebanon, the country will remain awaiting the end of the militia’s mission or role in Syria.

This means Lebanese silence, or rather official inability, regarding Hezbollah’s mission in Syria is the spark that threatens to ignite Lebanon at any moment. Given that, one can understand the clear message in Aoun’s statements, in which he attributed the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons to the regional situation. By doing so, he declares publicly that Lebanon is helpless and the countries of the region should understand this.

 **Diana Moukalled is a veteran journalist with extensive experience in both traditional and new media. She is also a columnist and freelance documentary producer. She can be reached on Twitter @dianamoukalled.
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