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Leaders from across Lebanon’s political spectrum – meeting in Qatar – have reached an agreement under Arab League mediation to reconvene parliament after 18 months of crisis.
In the deal, to be acted upon immediately, both governing coalition allies and the opposition agreed to elect Michel Suleiman, head of Lebanon’s army, as president, form a new inclusive government, and ban the use of weapons by political groups during internal conflicts.
The deal yields veto power and more seats in Lebanon’s parliament to the opposition alliance, led by Hezbollah.
Almost immediately after the announcement, camps outside the Lebanese prime minister’s office in central Beirut – set up 1 1/2 years ago in protest to the government – began to be dismantled.
Saudi Arabia, a country that has both significant monetary and political investment in Lebanon, said it supports the agreement, despite the fact that it will mean the diminishing of power for Riyadh’s allies.
Professor As’ad Abu Khalil, the so-called Angry Arab himself, noted the deal as marking the decline of Saudi’s role in the country.
“Let the Lebanese people enjoy the festival of self-deception now,” he writes, skeptical of the agreement as a turning point in the country’s continuing sectarian and factional strife.
As the meetings carried on over 5 days, many Lebanese bloggers treated the talks with sarcasm and disdain.
On Al Jazeera we even aired a package on the sentiment back home that the politicians gathered in Doha “should not return” if they couldn’t sort out the mess they’d created.
But on Wednesday, the mood was one of elation.
In Qatar, cars drove down the Corniche – one of Doha’s main roads – honking horns in celebration. At cafes (such as the one pictured above), Lebanese expats gathered to sing and dance for the unity of their country.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Qatari government for helping my beloved country Lebanon and lifting it up during these times of crisis,” read a post from one Lebanese expat in Doha on the community website Qatar Living.
Back home, Lebanon’s Daily Star reported a sharp jump in stocks on the Beirut Stock Exchange following the news, especially real estate and banking stocks.
Hopes are high, but both sides readily admit that the deal is “not perfect”.
“The most important thing now is to reconcile the country,” Amin Gemayel, a pro-government politician said.
From the American point of view, the deal means that an organisation Washington labels “terrorists” will now have a greater role in a government it considers an ally.
If what’s happened in the besieged Gaza Strip over the past couple years is any indication of what happens when democratically-elected governments in the Middle East take a path Washington doesn’t like, it may be a sign of few good things to come.
As far as regional politics though, the LATimes Middle East blog puts the political breakthrough as a blow to Amr Moussa, head of the Arab League, and a coup for Qatar’s prime/foreign minister Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, now a certifiable “diplomatic rock star”.
More on Lebanese politics (from Al Jazeera):
Timeline: Crisis in Lebanon
Who’s who in Lebanese politics
Profile: General Michel Suleiman