Lebanon War

I wanted to give an update on the Battle of Beirut that Hezbollah seems to have won this week. A previous article about this is here http://brianleesblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/israel-palestine-lebanon-syria-hopes.html which talked about possible truces between various parties. Anyway, the article with links is below and I hope you find it interesting.

Hezbollah solidifies power in Lebanon
Peace deal accedes to militants' demands
By Liz Sly Tribune correspondent
10:54 PM CDT, May 21, 2008

BEIRUT — The Iran-backed Hezbollah movement secured all its key demands in a major political deal announced Wednesday by Lebanon's feuding factions, heralding an end to the long political crisis that had pushed Lebanon dangerously close to civil war.Lebanese awoke to the startling news that their squabbling leaders had finally agreed on a formula under which a new president would be elected, a new government formed, and the destabilizing 18-month-old occupation of downtown Beirut by Hezbollah protesters would be ended.The lengthy confrontation more broadly mirrored the struggle for power under way in the Middle East between the United States, which brands Hezbollah a terrorist organization, and Iran, which provides Hezbollah weapons and funding. The outcome reflected Iran's rising influence in the region since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 brought to power a Shiite government there, extending Iran's reach into the Arab world.The deal came only after the Shiite movement Hezbollah had escalated its pressure on the U.S.-backed Lebanese government by staging a military takeover of mostly Sunni West Beirut, defeating pro-government militia forces in a single night of fierce battles.

By turning its guns on fellow Lebanese, Hezbollah had pushed the issue of its weapons to the fore, and government supporters had been insisting that Hezbollah's private arsenal be part of any deal.Instead, Hezbollah won its chief demand, for veto rights in the new government, without making any concessions on its weapons, affirming Hezbollah's stature as "the preponderant military actor and the super-political power in Lebanon," according to political scientist Hilal Khashan of the American University of Beirut.
'Major defeat'
"It was an excellent deal for the Hezbollah-led opposition and a major defeat for the U.S.-backed government," he said.President George W. Bush has repeatedly urged the Lebanese government to stand firm against Hezbollah's demands, and the deal giving Hezbollah a prominent role in the new government drew a lukewarm reception from Washington.In a statement, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the agreement "a positive step toward resolving the current crisis.""We call upon all Lebanese leaders to implement this agreement in its entirety," she said.The accord was brokered by a key U.S. Arab ally, Qatar, which was host to the heads of 17 Lebanese factions at crisis talks in the Qatari capital, Doha. The Arab League, composed mostly of U.S. allies, played a major part in securing the deal, and U.S. foes Syria and Iran both declared their support for it.Under the new arrangement, parliament will elect as president the current head of the Lebanese Army, Gen. Michel Suleiman, probably Sunday, ending a six-month vacancy in the presidency. Then, a new government will be appointed in which Hezbollah has enough seats to veto key decisions.The veto rights ensure that the new government won't be able to challenge Hezbollah's growing arsenal of weapons, as it appeared to do on May 6 when it ordered an investigation into Hezbollah's telecommunications system. Hezbollah interpreted the decision as an attack on its weapons, which it is allowed to keep to defend the country against Israel, and retaliated by ordering the attack on Beirut.But this was a deal nonetheless, and on a day when two other key players in the region, Israel and Syria, also announced that they were negotiating via Turkish intermediaries, hopes soared that peace, not war, would prevail.Almost immediately, Hezbollah supporters and city workers began dismantling the tented city that has paralyzed commercial and social life in downtown Beirut for the past 18 months.Just as quickly, merchants and cafe owners began resurrecting their shuttered businesses, full of hope that tourists would soon be flooding back to Lebanon."I cried with joy," said restaurant manager Mustafa Mattar, 32, speaking of the moment when his boss told him there was a deal and that he could go back to work after 18 months of idleness. "My boss cried too," he said as he pulled tables out of storage at the shuttered Siesta In cafe in preparation for what he hopes will be a prosperous summer.
But will deal last?
How long the deal will last is in question. In many ways, the arrangement offers only a reprieve until next spring, when fresh elections for a new government are due.The deal includes a reform of Lebanon's electoral law that will give Shiites fairer representation in Beirut to reflect their expanded numbers in a city traditionally dominated by Sunnis and Christians, increasing the likelihood that Hezbollah and its allies will win in the next elections.The recent fighting also exacerbated Sunni-Shiite tensions, opening new sectarian wounds that will not easily be healed by a backroom deal reached by the country's chieftains in a distant Arab capital."What about the people who were killed?" asked nightclub owner Haitham Fawaz, 32, a Sunni who lost two friends in the recent fighting. "I don't believe in Lebanon anymore, and the moment I can leave the country I will."The pain felt by many Sunnis was acknowledged by Sunni leader Saad Hariri, whose Future Movement fighters were routed in the recent fighting with Hezbollah."I know the wounds are deep. My wounds are especially deep," he told reporters in Doha after the deal. "But in this country we have no choice but to live together."And many Lebanese say that is all they want."I've never seen so many smiles on people's faces," said Mohammed Ali, 34, who works for the company charged with cleaning up the downtown area. "In Lebanon you can never get a good deal. You just get a deal, and if the politicians are talking instead of fighting, it's enough to make the people happy."


More Links here

HT: Powerline
A few days ago Michael Totten wrote about the failure of Hezbollah to push the Druze back during the recent fighting, and sounded almost optimistic about the country. Look for a Totten update soon, and for Claudia Rosett to weigh in as well.
One Lebanese columnist, Elias Khoury, branded the deal "a long truce."
Wizbang's Jay Tea blasts the State Department's absurd reaction to the deal.
The New York Times adds reactions here.