Lebanese celebrate in streets…
Golly gee, negotiating with terrorists sure seems to be all the rage in the Middle East today. More (semi) good news! Lebanon’s 18-months without a government seems to have ended. While it looks like Hezzbollah came out the winner, neither side got what it wanted and the fact that guns were laid down in favor of political negotiation makes it overall an improved reality.
From Guradian:
Diplomacy prevails to end 12-month deadlock
Mark Tran
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday May 21 2008Only a few weeks ago, Lebanon appeared to be sliding back into civil war. Hizbullah and its allies overran much of west Beirut, and the fighting left at least 65 people dead.
But diplomacy has prevailed. After six days of intensive talks in Doha, Qatar, the feuding parties have reached an agreement that has ended more than a year of deadlock.
The deal opens the way for the election of General Michel Suleiman as a compromise president. The presidency has been vacant since November - a stark illustration of the political impasse that makes this deeply divided state a natural prey for outside powers from Israel to Syria to Iran.
Really, who is out of touch here? McCain, Bush, and the GOP are running around calling Obama Neville fucking Chamberlain. Meanwhile, the Middle East is using diplomacy to resolve its issues.
Anthony Shadid reports for the WaPost:
TAGS: election, GOP, Iran, mccain, obama, political, warThe U.S.’s top diplomat for the region, David Welch, nevertheless welcomed the agreement as “a necessary and positive step” that will let the country’s political process move forward…
Across Beirut, residents breathed a collective sigh of relief at the end of a crisis that, just weeks ago, had shown no sign of abating. In Sidon, cars with Lebanese flags fluttering from the window honked their horns.
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