French Diplomacy in Lebanon
Randa Takieddine Al-Hayat - 01/08/07//
"We will not leave having lost hope": With these words, the French minister Bernard Kouchner told the Lebanese people that there is still hope, in spite of the difficulties, of avoiding a catastrophe in Lebanon.
The Lebanese people no longer believe anyone and yet are thirsty for optimism and for hope, even if they are merely promises. They are dissatisfied with politics and politicians and all what they want is to live a good, peaceful life in their beautiful country. Kouchner is making moves and attempts, and why not? It is true that the mission is formidable and the challenge is tough, but France is in a special position in the region and in Lebanon. It is important for Kouchner to maintain this position and not allow the situation to affect France's credibility.
The ongoing efforts exerted by Kouchner are likely to produce results. These significant ministerial efforts now coincide with the departure of the distinguished and active French ambassador Bernard Emié after three years on an extremely harsh and difficult mission in this country. Emié, who is 49 years old, started at the French embassy at the end of December 2004. The previous French president Jacques Chirac wanted to assign him to Beirut after his success in several other missions, such as when he was a diplomatic advisor on Jean David Levitte's (the current advisor to President Nicholas Sarkozy) team, then an ambassador to Jordan where he reinforced the French economic and political presence in the country, then as the head of the Middle East and North Africa in the French foreign ministry. Chirac knew that Emié was one of the most active and energetic diplomats in the foreign ministry and that he deserved to be ambassador to Lebanon.
Emié left Paris for Lebanon at the end of 2004 with Chirac's directives, but quickly came back to Paris to confer with the President in February 2005. During his presence in the French capital the former prime minister and martyr Rafik Hariri was assassinated, so Emié returned less than two months after arriving on a private French government airplane to prepare for his president's visit to Lebanon, where he would offer his condolences to the Lebanese people and to the martyr's family for the death of his friend Hariri. Afterwards, the complexity and harshness of Emié's mission began. The hardships did not let up, and he faced them in a difficult security situation. Many times he was far away from his wife Isabel and his three children because the French foreign ministry insisted on it for security reasons. In spite of all this, he never stopped his work.
No one should forget the French ambassador's tears as he offered his condolences to Mr. Ghassan Tueni after the assassination of his son Gibran. No one should forget his tears as he stood by Giselle, the wife of the martyr Samir Kassir, when criminal hands assassinated him. Bernard Emié is a skillful diplomat, and yet he also perceptive and has strong feelings. He was greatly affected when Israel bombed Lebanon last summer, and was extremely active in working to reach resolution 1701. He was in contact with all the Lebanese sides and was always carrying out his president's directives regarding Lebanon. Emie was able to protect and maintain France's standing and voice in Lebanon with all the different sides, even those who criticized him, in spite of the skillfulness and activity of the American ambassador to Lebanon, Jeffrey Feltman.
Emié will now move on to become his country's ambassador to Turkey and he will be succeeded by his friend and colleague Ambassador Andre Parent who was ambassador to Senegal and who also worked after Emié as a diplomatic advisor to President Chirac. However, Emie is sorry to leave without Lebanon having recovered, and he was keen on carrying out the new French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner's diplomacy up until the last moment. Everyone remembers how the French ambassador worked last summer to evacuate the French and Lebanese communities from the Israeli bombing, and everyone remembers his humanitarian efforts and his perseverance for the sake of the Lebanese people. Emié is a proponent of dialogue with all sides, and the French embassy in Lebanon did not cease for one day to speak with Hezbollah because it knew that they were an important part of the country and that the issue of Hezbollah's weapons had to be addressed in the framework of a dialogue between all sides.
However, unfortunately for Lebanon there are regional powers that want to turn it into an arena of war and disruption and poverty and misery through its allies on the ground. How promising the summer season would be in this beautiful country if the political situation was calm and far removed from regional interference. Can anyone imagine that a high Arab official's son who loves Lebanon became depressed with his father told him that would not be spending this summer in Lebanon? Citizens of every Arab nation were used to spending their short or long holidays in Lebanon because it is the country of services and restaurants and fun and tourism and hospitality. The sea is close to the mountains and options are abundant and attractive to visitors, to say nothing of the kindness of the Lebanese people.
Unfortunately, none of these advantages mean anything in the absence of security and extensiveness of weapons. How vigorous the whole area would be if Lebanon was at peace. That is what Hariri tried to accomplish, but he was killed for trying!
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