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face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black;font-weight:bold'>An
Irish Lesson for the Lebanese</span></font></b><font size=2 color=black
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Hassan Haydar
Al-Hayat -
10/05/07// <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;color:black'>In 1998, the Catholics and Protestants of
Northern Ireland reached a historic agreement on national reconciliation
and power sharing to end thirty years of bloody conflict. But the process
to form a joint authority was very long and difficult, and faced many big
stumbling blocks that led to the suspension of the local parliament in 2002
after all communication between the two sides was halted. The rupture of
relations, however, did not halt dialogue, which was crowned, only two days
ago, with an understanding that resulted in the resumption of the
parliament's activities and the formation of a new joint government. Both
sides, who have announced the beginning of an era of peace and the end of
their centuries-long violent confrontation, were determined to make this
understanding succeed.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;color:black'>The Irish experience is very similar, in
many aspects, to the one we have seen in modern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region> since the Civil War
broke out between its political components and sects in 1975 until the Taif
Agreement, which won consensus from all parties to lay the foundation for
rebuilding the State and its institutions, was reached. But the shock
caused by a Syrian-imposed constitutional amendment that provided for the
president's term extension, and then the assassination of Rafik Hariri,
shocked that understanding, which was then completely dashed by last
summer's war with Israel. This war has cancelled the impact of a dialogue
that had just begun between the figureheads of the regime and the
opposition with an eye to restore a minimum common ground after the
withdrawal of Syrian troops and the subsequent assassinations and bombings.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;color:black'>In <st1:country-region w:st="on">Ireland</st1:country-region>,
as in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
the confusion of the local and regional factors has always played a role in
kindling the dispute. Foreign parties strove to back the side that opposes
the concept and role of the State by financial and military means that
should help this side hold out - this included Libyan arms shipments to the
Irish Republican Army. These parties have repeatedly intervened to change
the balance of power and the rules of the game. But the Irish insight won
at last for the sake of their nation; even though neither the Catholics nor
the Protestants have given up their long-term objective. The Catholics want
the reunification of the Northern and Southern Irelands, while the
Protestants want to maintain strong relations with <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
But both sides have decided to co-exist under a democratic regime that
safeguards the rights of all despite their different affiliations.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Can the Lebanese carry out a similar
courageous leap? They sure can. They have not had any civil armed fighting
since the Taif Agreement, which means that their disagreements, despite
being increasingly tense, are still political. This also means that the
foundation is laid for coexistence and it could be extended and
strengthened. If we look at the Belfast Agreement, we will find that
decades of almost daily bloody fights did not prevent the two sides from
sitting at the negotiating table and arrive at a solution that would
hopefully last. We will also find that the policies and program of the
government have been agreed upon before the formation of the unity
government and the distribution of portfolios. We will find that the armed
side has agreed to put its arms completely beyond use under the indirect
supervision of the joint committee, and that the elements of this armed
group were re-integrated into society after they became no longer wanted.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;color:black'>As to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the situation is
supposedly, theoretically, far easier. The armed side, represented by
Hezbollah, is not an outlawed organization. Rather, it is a principal
component of the Lebanese society. It is a recognized opposition group
whose achievements are also recognized. The disagreement, however, is about
the dimensions of its role following the Israeli occupation's pullout and
the conflict between this role and the idea of State and how far it is
influenced by foreign players. When Hizbollah decides to give a higher
priority to internal coexistence, which means that it has broken free and curbed
the regional pressure, and accepts a purely political role in the framework
of the State of Law and institutions, agreeing with the other parties,
whether in power or not, becomes an easy task like in any other country
where there are loyalists, opposition and peaceful rotation of power.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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Tahoma;color:#A0A0A0;font-weight:bold'> ©2003 Media Communications
Group</span></font></b><span lang=EN> </span><b><font size=1 color="#b0b0b0"
face=Tahoma><span lang=AR dir=RTL style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Tahoma;
color:#B0B0B0;font-weight:bold'>مجموعة
الاتصالات
الإعلامية</span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
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