[Daily Star-Lebanon] Michael Young - Lebanon's government crisis is and always was about Syria and its yearning to regain the power over Lebanon that it lost in 2005. The Syrians don't want a government unless they can be seen as having blessed it themselves - which means Hariri must make a notable act of submission to Damascus. But apparently the U.S., with Egypt, blocked Hariri's visit to Damascus before he became prime minister. Yet Iran and Hizbullah, not Syria, hold real power on the ground. Where Syrian interests have been protected in Lebanon, they have been protected by Hizbullah, so that Iran has gradually sidelined Syria as the main opposition sponsor.
2009-09-11 08:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive