_WORLD WATCH______________________________
________________Lebanon_______________
Christians in the crossfire
National reconciliation on hold
Lebanese Catholic Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir has called for national reconciliation, so that Lebanon might leave behind the old grievances that divided the country during its 15-year civil war.
“Any kingdom, city, or nation divided against itself will be ruined,” the Maronite Patriarch said during a celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the town of Deir al-Qamar, southeast of Beirut—the site of some of the worst sectarian fighting in the nation’s history. “Let our coexistence here be an example to the whole of the country as it attempts to live in peace and prosperity.”
The Patriarch’s visit had special significance in a region where Christians were massacred in the 1800s, and a siege by Druze militia groups, backed by Syria, devastated the Christian population during the civil war of 1975-1990. This was the first visit by a Maronite leader in two centuries, and it was seen as a sign that the hundreds of thousands of Christians who were driven into the nearby Chouf mountains could now safely return to their homes. It was also significant that Druze leader Walid Jumblatt appeared alongside Patriarch Sfeir and Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, signaling a move toward national unity.
But hopes for unity were dashed just two days later, when Lebanese soldiers arrested about 250 Christian leaders of an anti-Syrian faction, in what security officials said was an attempt to forestall a planned massive protest against Syrian influence. Many of those arrested were soon released, while others were later tried by military courts, convicted, and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 5 to 45 days on charges of “defaming the president and damaging the reputation of the Syrian army and disturbing relations with a sister country.”
The arrests caused renewed criticism of the government and its Syrian sponsors. Maronite Patriarch Sfeir, one of the most vocal critics of Syria, called for calm, but added that “oppression never solved problems.” He added, “We want to live in our country without fear, heads high, hand in hand, heart to heart, Muslims and Christians.”
The arrests also exposed new tensions within the odd alliances that characterize the current Lebanese political situation. Prime Minister Rafik Hariri expressed dismay that he had received no prior notification of the crackdown. Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, has been critical of the influence wielded by the Syrian government—as has Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader who was a wartime ally of Syria. On the other hand President Lahoud, a Maronite Christian, has strongly supported Syria—despite the loud protests from Patriarch Sfeir.
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