Monday, January 24, 2011

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri delivered Friday a televised address to outline his stance on the upcoming parliamentary consultation process.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah appeared Sunday on the airwaves to deliver his latest remarks on the evolving situation in Lebanon, focusing on the consultations.

Naturally, a postponement of this process for the second time remains a possibility, due to a range of factors. But working under the assumption the consultations will convene at Baabda Palace, one can say Lebanon will launch the process after the two central players on each side, Hariri and Nasrallah, have their say.

In form, each is urging respect for Lebanon’s democratic system. Each has promised to abide by the result of the consultations, which are scheduled to begin Monday and last for two days.

While this is positive in terms of form, in terms of content one can draw certain conclusions from Nasrallah’s address. Whether it is the Hezbollah leader, or the Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, who spoke to the BBC this weekend, the remarks signal an attempt to mend fences with the Sunni community. The message is one: while the opposition rejects a certain individual, it says it should not be seen as being “against” the Sunni political community per se.

Meanwhile, Nasrallah and his allies have demonstrated a readiness to nominate someone who will not alienate the Hariri camp. During his address Sunday evening, Nasrallah sought to save face with regard to former Prime Minister Omar Karami, who was earlier touted as the opposition candidate but, according to Nasrallah, prefers that someone else be named instead.

Another name is being circulated and everyone knows that such a candidacy is not purely a Lebanese matter – such a candidate will have to receive regional approval, and it remains unclear whether this approval has been obtained.
The March 14 camp has remained silent about the acceptability of such a compromise candidate, as it continues to declare its support for Hariri.

The important thing is for the democratic process to prevail, and it appears the person who is named, whoever it is, will not enjoy a crushing majority of support.

Whoever wins should be proud of the support of the majority. But this same person will still be required to walk a tightrope, to prove himself capable of dealing with the many difficulties faced by the country.
Every vote at Baabda will count, and for the first time in memory, the nomination of a prime minister will be decisive for the country’s future.

If the consultations go smoothly, few will be able to dispute the results, and this includes foreign powers.
The consultations should produce a “winner,” but one whose victory will be in the form of taking on a challenge of the greatest magnitude.