Source: Al Manar TV, 14-03-2008
"Boycott the Arab Summit in Damascus." So the US is huffing and puffing, but can it truly blow away any hopes of serious participation in the Damascus Summit? After David Satterfield, Charge D'Affaires at the Embassy of the United States of America in Baghdad announced his country's rejection to the Arab initiative to solve Lebanon's political crisis, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack conveyed Thursday Washington's implicit directive to his allies in Beirut and the Arab world: Boycott the summit.
Washington's position indicates a sort of political challenge given the location, timing and agenda of the Arab summit, which seems to be taking place with Arab participation beyond the expectations of those bargaining on its failure.
"We're certainly never going to try to dictate who should attend
one of these meetings...In contemplating whether or not they attend a meeting in Syria, it certainly bears keeping in mind what Syria's role (has been) to this point in not allowing a Lebanese electoral process to move forward. I would note that the invitation is addressed to Prime Minister Saniora, who is, in fact, acting president. Why, you might ask, is he acting president? That is because there has not been a presidential election in Lebanon," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "Many have referred to Syria as one of the culprits for that election not moving forward," he added.
McCormack's remark came a few hours after Syria officially invited the head of the unconstitutional government Fouad Saniora, through resigned Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh. Saniora and acting Foreign Minister in his government Tareq Mitri were in Dakar, Senegal attending the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit. "To the Lebanese Republic's Prime Minister Fouad Saniora," said the invitation.
The ruling bloc accuses Syria of not acknowledging Lebanon as a sovereign state. Syrian Prime Minister Naji Otari addressed the invitation to Saniora since there is presidential vacuum in Lebanon.
What about the ruling bloc?
There seem to be clear divisions within the loyalty bloc over the participation in the summit on the one hand and the invitation itself on the other. France Press quoted a Lebanese governmental source in Dakar as saying that the "invitation was normal and in harmony with norms."
Pro-ruling bloc media outlets reflected a state of confusion within this team. MP Saad Hariri's "Mustaqbal" (Future) daily said in its main headline: "Syria addresses invitation to Prime Minister Saniora". According to analysts, the paper implicitly welcomes the invitation although it has reservations on the invitation process. "Al-Nahar" daily however described it as: "An equivocal Syrian invitation."
For his part, the head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt openly said that Lebanon should boycott the summit, "because taking part would acquit Syria and its allies of hindering the election of a Lebanese president." Speaking to the BBC-Arabic, Jumblatt added that "such participation would constitute a precedent in Syria's interference on the account of sovereignty and free decision."
Jumblatt's ally, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea seized the moment in Washington to call on Arab leaders not to attend the Damascus summit since his consultations with US officials including US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not give him "the impression that the crisis in Lebanon would be solved anytime before the summit."
Communication Minister in Saniora's unconstitutional government Marwan Hmedeh, a close ally to Jumblatt, told the Akhbar daily that the "loyalty bloc will not decide on the participation in the summit before the issue of electing a president is settled."
Hmedeh stressed that "the ministers will vote against participation should the status quo remains unchanged."