Saudi Arabia and India agree to study feasibility of establishing power grid    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR5.9 billion net profit after Zakat and Income Tax for YTD Q3    Economy minister emphasizes global partnerships to address pressing challenges Private investments in non-oil sector soar 70%    Saudi Arabia's GDP grows 2.8% in Q3, driven by non-oil sectors    PIF, HKMA sign MoU to establish $1 billion investment fund    Israeli soldiers forced Palestinian men to take off clothes as they evacuated war-torn Jabalya    North Korea fires suspected intercontinental missile    India celebrates Diwali, the festival of lights    'It was like a tsunami': Spaniards recount horror of deadly floods    Bahrain Crown Prince receives Saudi Interior Minister    In-person classes will remain suspended in Jeddah, Rabigh and Khulais schools on Thursday    HR Ministry takes penal action against 568 violators of Domestic Workers' Regulation    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    Al Nassr eliminated from King's Cup after a defeat to Al Taawoun    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Othman Al Omeir receives Legacy of Change Medal at the UK Parliament for advocacy in media    Neymar joins Saudi fashion trend, donning traditional attire at Al Hilal match    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    Saudi Football Federation reappoints Hervé Renard to lead national team    Tarzan star Ron Ely dies aged 86    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







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Ayoon Wa Azan (A Pleasure That I Can Only Find in Lebanon)
Published in AL HAYAT on 04 - 01 - 2012

Most people know only one line of work that they practice, and know no other. I for instance have worked in journalism since my university days and know no other line of work, while bearing in mind that some readers do not believe that I am adept, be it in journalism or any other line of work.
Compare this to my friend Taher al-Masri. This gentleman, during the time that I knew him, worked for the Central Bank of Jordan, was the ambassador to London, Paris and Madrid, and then occupied the post of Minister for the Occupied Territories and Minister of Foreign Affairs. After that he became Deputy Prime Minister, then Prime Minister and after that Speaker of the Parliament. Now he is the President of the Senate of which he was a member, and the Chairman of the National Dialogue Committee. And between this and that, Taher al-Masri was the head of the Board of Trustees of the University of Science and Technology.
I had sat by Taher's side after being invited by Prime Minister Najib Mikati with friends to a luncheon at the Grand Serail. I started thinking of the posts Masri occupied throughout his career, and I think he probably has enough titles to compete with the Duchess of Alba, who I read has 50 titles that range between Duchess, Marquise and Countess, in addition to dozens of other titles.
During the gathering, the pertinent Arab issues were tackled, as we bade farewell to an eventful year, and welcomed a new year which most of us expected would be as significant as the outgoing one, as it picks up where the latter left off. Masri also elaborated on the efforts of the dialogue committee in Jordan and the proposals it has reached. All of us got involved, and we exchanged views, agreed and disagreed, without anyone anathematizing the others.
The meeting was private and the conversation is not for publication so I shan't publish it. But perhaps I can leak some ideas in this column in the near future, while pretending they are my own brainchildren.
There is something in common between Masri and the Prime Minister: Both men are cautious and weigh their words carefully as though they were ounces of gold, and try not to make any gaffes, or say things that they would regret and would have to subsequently retract or apologize for. Perhaps this is the secret of their successes, as Mr. Mikati seems to be rather reserved when it comes to information and extracting it from him is as difficult as extracting a tooth, while Taher occupied all those political posts only because he was the politician who was the least prone to error among his generation's politicians.
I always found that political meetings as such are a pleasure that I can only find in Lebanon. A few days ago, I had mentioned such sessions I had with MPs in cafes around Parliament Square, and today I continue talking about the last meeting I had before I returned to London, with my friend Ghazi Aridi, Minister of Public Works, and my colleague Walid Choucair. We talked openly and comfortably, as there was no one else with us, about Syria, Egypt, Iraq and the implications of the events there for Lebanon.
Truly, Ghazi Aridi represents me in the cabinet, even though he hails from the Shouf while I come from the Southern Metn. The reader may consider that my opinion of him is biased by virtue of our friendship, as I always found him to be privy to significant private information, owing to his post, and in possession of a shrewd capacity for analysis, by virtue of his background in journalism and writing, and having also once been the Minister of Information.
Ghazi gave me his book “Palestine, a Right that Will Never Die”. The book is a collection of essays written between early 2003 and late 2011, published by the Arab Scientific Publishers and it falls in 527 pages. The essays were published along with their dates of original publication, but did not mention where they were published.
Palestine is an issue that no Arab or Muslim disputes, and Aridi's essays reflect his pan-Arab nationalist commitment, along with an analysis based on a breadth of information that no one can access except those who are in a political position such as the author's.
He, like all of us, is infuriated by the fascist Israeli practices against Palestinians and other neighbors, and by Western bias, especially that of the United States, in favor of Israeli aggression against the victims. Aridi also expressed his disappointment with Barack Obama's stance at the UN last year, especially when in 2010, he had expected that Palestine would be a member of the General Assembly before he came to lead a campaign against the Palestinian bid for UN membership.
Nonetheless, Aridi's anger did not prevent him from calling a spade a spade, and he thus condemned the dispute and split between Fatah and Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza.
Ghazi Aridi wrote as I expected him to write – and the Arab reader must no doubt find the book rich in useful information and views.
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