Lebanon commemorates on Wednesday the nineteenth anniversary of the assassination of late former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, the fourteenth of February that altered the balances and turned the calculations upside down.
This article was initially published and translated from the Lebanese online newspaper Al-Anbaa.
Lebanese people remember Rafic Hariri amidst the comprehensive collapse and void prevailing in the institutions from top to bottom because he was a man of dialogue and settlements, a man of constitution and law, who respected entitlements and public administrations, unlike many who operate according to narrow sectarian interests.
Political sources told "Al-Anbaa", indicate that "Lebanon urgently needs the spirit of Rafic Hariri to enforce the constitution and accomplish entitlements, and for Rafic Hariri's international efforts to garner international support, especially amid the neglect of entitlements, rejection of communication, and Lebanon's isolation from the Arab and Western communities."
It is pointed out that "the killers of Rafic Hariri, who sought to end his leading role domestically and internationally with his assassination and sought to hinder the progress Hariri was trying to establish, still seek to thwart Lebanon and drown it in internal and external crises, because they do not want Beirut to regain its role. This should be a warning for those obstructing entitlements, especially the forefront being the presidential elections."
The advisor to the martyr Hariri, Dr. Daoud Sayegh, considers that "Rafic Hariri was among the greats who accomplished, and he was a statesman who harnessed all his energies and was entrusted with the fate, and on this entity."
In a conversation with "Al-Anbaa" electronic newspaper, Sayegh recalls the dialogues and settlements held by Hariri. In his opinion, "he is a man of understanding in April 1996, and led the negotiations as the Prime Minister of Lebanon." He continued: "I say it frankly, thanks to Rafic Hariri, the 'resistance' became internationally legitimate."
Sayegh also discusses Rafic Hariri's development visions, as he rebuilt Lebanon, established hospitals and universities, and Hariri's international efforts to attract support for Lebanon and emphasize its role in the international community, noting that "Hariri worked to restore Lebanon's presence abroad. Lebanon was absent and had no foreign policy, and Hariri managed to forge friendships with the European Union, its countries, the United States, and other countries."
Sayegh believes that "Rafic Hariri's dreams were many," noting that "what distinguishes him from others is his ability to turn his dreams into projects," adding: "Hariri was a man of solutions."
Meanwhile, international efforts to spare Lebanon from war continue, with the French proposal presented by Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné to Lebanon and Israel, which is based on stopping military operations by both parties, withdrawing Hezbollah weapons from south of the Litani River, and Hezbollah fighters withdrawing ten kilometers while Israel stops all violations.
According to the proposal, a joint American, French, Lebanese, and Israeli committee will monitor the implementation and launch negotiations to resolve disputes along the Blue Line through a UN military committee, with the Lebanese army being strengthened.
In this context, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah made an appearance yesterday, speaking about the war in the south, emphasizing that the fronts in the region, including the Lebanese front, will not stop before the end of the war in Gaza, considering that Resolution 1701 does not protect Lebanon. These signals may be messages to the international community, indicating that Lebanon is not concerned with ceasefire efforts without ending the war in Gaza and that the UN decision does not guarantee the border's security.
Monitoring sources indicate that "there is active diplomatic work to spare Lebanon from war, sponsored by France and the United States in particular, and there are open lines of communication with Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel. Despite Hezbollah's public rejection of any separate southern settlements from the Gaza war, there are indications that these efforts may succeed because pressure is mounting on the conflict parties, especially Hezbollah, as Israel continues its policy of assassinations."
The sources point out the Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati's talk yesterday, who said in front of a delegation of economic journalists that "the situation in the south is not without caution, but things are moving towards a kind of long-term stability," pointing out that "communications are ongoing in this regard."
Mikati is supposed to hold diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of the security conference in Munich, the most prominent of which is with US envoy Amos Hochstein.