Was The Italian Foreign Minister Trying To Sell Us Out?
D’Alema told Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid Moallem that Italy would push for an end to Syria’s international isolation in return for a guarantee that Hezbollah and other groups would not harm Italian troops in Lebanon.
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Hello, my name is Mustapha and I blog in The Beirut Spring about Lebanese society and politics. I started in February 2005 after the killing of P.M. Rafik Hariri.
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Funny joke at the comments section of Haaretz:
“Italian tanks have 11 gears. 10 in reverse and 1 forward in case they get attacked from behind.”
I don’t know if you read Italian, but read this excellent piece by Emanuele Ottolenghi, who’s a very sharp analyst. He is very critical of D’Alema’s appeasement and this is his second piece demolishing him.
The title reads: “The Prodi Government must choose: either with Syria or with Lebanon.”
The last bits are very good. He talks about how Italian politicians think they can make a dictator like Assad become reasonable with a few persuasive words. Here is my translation of a couple of graphs:
“But why, in the face of so much horrifying evidence of the Syrian role in Lebanon do our politicians insist on thinking that a solution in Lebanon must necessarily pass through Syria? Why insist on believing that the victim and the executioner could reconcile without forcing the executioner to first demonstrate a change of heart? And above all, why continue to believe that the Western interest coincides with that of Damascus?
It’s therefore time to change.
It is necessary to recognize that the policy of isolating Damascus is the only remaining path, morally and realistically speaking.”
Sorry, I made a slip. The accurate translation is “It’s therefore time to CHOOSE” (not change).
Sigh.
It’s all perfectly Italian.
If my memory does not deceive me, the last time Italians had any military achievement of note was during the Roman Empire
when I first read this, I thought it was a joke. Alas, reality struck me.Typical italian attitude. Just when exactly are lebanese going to stop relying on ‘foreign powers’ but rather start to look within their own circles for answers?
Why should we be surprised? In the real world each gov will try to protect and enforce its own interests. If, by any chance that country interest is similar to that of Lebanon, fine, if not, Lebanon’s well being will be simply put, forgotten. What puzzles me is the way the Leb gov acts!!? why did not they outlaw Hezbollah? or if they were afraid to do so, why not asking for a referendum about its weapons? I doubt most would agree with this militia. Well, I hope not.
Don’t wait for others to take pity on you, act yourself!
Except for the utter abjectness of the statement, how does the intent differ from that of the French and Sarkozy, which is to sit with Hezbollah and make nice with Syia?
Please explain……..
Who said Sarkozy is making nice with Syria!?
” In an allied move, France’s new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, is ending the boycott of Syria which Jacques Chirac, his predecessor, had insisted on ever since the murder of his close friend, the former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri. To Israel’s undoubted displeasure, France has resumed a dialogue with Syria, which the Quai d’Orsay sees as a necessary part of French efforts to stabilize Lebanon”
article
Bluhawkk,
You have got to be kidding me.
Patrick Seal?? You might as well have quoted Joshua Landis :)
HA! It was actually Joshua Landis who quoted Seale on this! It’s the pot calling the kettle!
By the way, D’Alema strongly denied making any such “deal”.
Read it initially on the dissident frogman June 13 entry
From the French edition of the Jerusalem Post (apparently not [yet] available on the International/English one), we find this:
President Sarkozy will invite Hezbollah to participate to a conference on Lebanon, set to take place in Paris before the end of this month, and hinted that he is ready to “reach out” to Syria. (…)
The invitation of Hezbollah kills the hopes formulated in Jerusalem following Sarkozy’s election, to see the new president put the group on Europe’s list of terrorist organizations, a proposal to which Chirac was always opposed.
Bluhawwk,
This was all rendered obsolete after Eido’s assassination, according to Sarkozy himself in a phone call to seniora.
Thanks for that bit of news. Googled for confirmation:
US, France express firm support to Lebanese gov”t
Politics 6/15/2007 9:15:00 PM
BEIRUT, June 15 (KUNA) — US and French President, George Bush and Nicolas Sarkozy respectively, expressed in phone calls with Prime Minister Fuad Al-Siniora their full and firm support to Lebanon and the government in Beirut.
Siniora received two phone calls from Bush and Sarkozy who condemned the “terrorist crime” which killed MP Walid Eido and his companions three days ago, a statement by Siniora’s office said.
Bush and Sarkozy also reiterated firm support to Lebanon and its government in the fight against terrorists in order to restore order nationwide, it said.
The American and French leaders told Siniora they were ready to support Lebanon in all possible measures to abort any bid to undermine security and stability of Lebanon. (end) an.bs KUNA 152115 Jun 07NNNN