"We, in the Arab world, have fears that the security situation in Lebanon is fragile, and any security deterioration will have an impact on us," the head al-Saqr was quoted as saying upon his arrival on Sunday.
Saqr said they are not carrying a new initiative, but "have ideas that support the Arab initiative."
"We will do all we can for national reconciliation in Lebanon, if the situation requires we go to Syria, we will", Saqr added.
Qatar and Oman have reportedly also stepped in to try to make one last-ditch effort to salvage an Arab initiative aimed at ending the ongoing political crisis in Lebanon, only nine days ahead of a vote to elect a new president.
Syria does not recognize Lebanon as a sovereign and independent nation and that is why it refuses to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon and also refuses to demarcate the borders with Lebanon. This is the core of the problem between Lebanon and Syria and unless the Arabs realize this they are wasting their time in Lebanon
Syria was criticized for the way it handled the invitation to the summit. The March 14th ruling alliance accused Damascus regime of playing a childish game ... when it sent the invitation with a low level representative to the resigned Foreign Minister a day after Prime Minister Fouad Siniora left the country with the acting Foreign Minister to attend the Islamic conference in Dakar. The Syrian delegation that delivered the invitation was a deputy Foreign Minister while all the other Arab countries received the invitation from delegations headed by a Minister. What upset the Lebanese also is the fact that unlike the invitations to the other Arab leaders Lebanon's invitation did not come from President Assad but from his Prime minister, who has almost no power in Syria.
Syria has been also accused of blocking the Lebanese election of army general Michel Suleiman as the president of the republic. The election was delayed for the 16th time by Syria's ally Speaker Nabih Berri and is now set for March 25, four days before the scheduled Arab summit in Damascus. Very few Lebanese expect to have a president on March 25!
Lebanon's Army chief General Michel Suleiman was nominated to be the next president , but the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah-led opposition is insisting on a whole basket of demands before they agree to go ahead and elect him. The majority calls these demands extortion and blackmail.
"Syria should convince those who listen to her in Lebanon to endorse the three point Arab plan, which Damascus approved," Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters.
The three point Arab peace initiative/plan calls for the immediate election of the president to be followed by the formation of a national unity government based on the constitution, to be followed by a new electoral law. A step by step approach for ending the crises.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa visited Lebanon four times since the three point Arab initiative was adopted to try to resolve the crises, but in the end he gave up because he finally realized that the opposition may be physically in Lebanon, but its orders are coming from Syria with the help of Iran. Moussa visited Syria twice since his first visit to Lebanon this year, but to no avail. Syria continued to block the election of a Lebanese president, but Berri is now blaming the US instead.
Lebanon has been without president since the pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud stepped down after his extended term ended on November 23, 2007. Lahoud's term was extended in 2004 for another 3 years under pressure by the Syrian president Basher al Assad who called Lahoud "my personal representative in Lebanon."
"Lebanon is sick in tired of being run by a personal representatives of Syria. It is time therefore for Syria to recognize Lebanon as an independent and sovereign state that is governed a by a Lebanese president who represents the people of Lebanon. Lebanon refuses to be governed by a clone of Lahoud , which is what Syria wants", Ahmed Yasseen a political observer told Ya Libnan observer.
We in Lebanon appreciate the efforts of our Arab friends in trying visiting us to try to end the impasse. But the problem is not in Lebanon. The problem is in Syria. Our Arab friends should therefore pack up and head to Damascus to convince the Syrian regime that the problem in Lebanon is not about the Lebanese, it is about recognition. Recognition by Syria that Lebanon should be treated as a sovereign and Independent state and to stop messing around with Lebanon. Our Arab friends should also give Syria an ultimatum: "Recognize Lebanon or there won't be a summit in Damascus, because we aren't coming to Damascus, period."
Time for our Arab friends to understand Lebanon!
Time for the Syrian regime to stop playing games with Lebanon!
Picture: Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora ( R) and MP Mohammed Jassem al-Saqr head of the Arab Parliamentary delegation currently in Lebanon to end the political impasse
Tags: Assad, Hezbollah, Iran, saqr, Siniora, Syria
