Many years ago, I asked Elie Hobeika why he had taken the Beirut-Damascus road in the name of the Lebanese Forces (LF), which he had led despite the history of the LF and his history with them. He answered: “Because I realized after the costly experiences that there can be no stability in Lebanon without an agreement with Syria, even if the agreement seems to be difficult and costly.” He added: “Severed relations with Syria paralyze the ability of Lebanese officials and enclose Lebanese political leaders. You cannot be a normal official or leader if you are in a state of enmity with Syria. Stability in Lebanon needs a Syrian visa.” Hobeika decided to give me two examples on the need for Syria, even by its most staunch opponents. He said that a few days before Bashir Gemayel's assassination, LF officials scouted a location in the mountains of Jbeil as the meeting place of Bashir with “a high-ranking Syrian official”, but the assassination came first. He also said: “Bashir was convinced that it is impossible to achieve stability without Syria.” As for the second example, Hobeika said that “when General Michel Aoun was in a state of war with the LF after the Liberation War he waged against Syria, he sent to me one of his closest aides to ask me to help him make contact with President Hafez el Assad.” He added: “Maronite leaders gather up their balance of confrontation with Syria then attempt to invest this balance in a settlement with it.” I don't know why I remembered Hobeika's discourse yesterday as I entered Walid Jumblatt's house. Scenes raced in my mind: General Aoun returning from exile following the Syrian army pullout from Lebanon. He had also concluded that Syria remains close and influential, even if its army left the Lebanese territory. He turned the page of the past and headed to Damascus. He was warmly welcomed and turned into a friend and an ally. It can be said that Hezbollah played an important role in rehabilitating and paving the road. The second scene: The latest parliamentary elections gave Saad Hariri two clear attributes – the leader of the parliamentary majority and the uncontested leader of the Sunni sect. He was the natural candidate for the position of prime minister. Before accepting the denomination, he realized that he cannot be the Prime Minister of Lebanon without normal relations with Syria. He took the difficult decision of turning the page of injuries and heading to Damascus. He was warmly welcomed and a window was opened – one that will be widened by his next visit. Third scene: Deputy Walid Jumblatt interpreted the meaning of the events of May 2008 in Beirut; the July War; the local and regional balance of forces; the situation of the US policy in the region; the changes in the international and local winds and Arab reconciliations. He read and reached conclusions. Hezbollah was in charge of rehabilitating and paving the road. Jumblatt visited Damascus and came back feeling at ease after his meeting with President Bashar el Assad. In Beirut, the visiting journalist feels that he is witnessing the end of a period, and that the sides that were clashing with Syria are reconsidering their options and removing some expressions from their rhetoric in preparation for a more realistic approach to the “geographic fate”. These sides acknowledge that the Syrian leadership has successfully crossed the stormy period and has emerged stronger than before. This enables it to review previous mistakes whose existence it never hesitated to acknowledge. In Beirut, there is renewed talk about Syria, its strength, and the impossibility of achieving Lebanese stability without a deep agreement with it. Its real friends say that Syria has an opportunity to establish a deep and balanced relation with Lebanon, on the level of both the State and the institutions. This relation would strengthen the two countries in the face of the Israeli enemy, deepen economic cooperation, and keep away the mistakes of past decades. It would tempt all the Lebanese sides to open the doors of understanding with Damascus and could be a model for relations among the neighboring Arab countries. What is certain is that it takes two to tango… in other words, two states.
