Lebanon's crisis becomes regional concern (News Feature)

Jan 17, 2011, 12:41 GMT

Beirut - Concerns that Lebanon's latest political crisis may spark violence and affect the entire region prompted Syria, Turkey and Qatar to hold a mini-summit in Damascus on Monday in a bid to bridge the divide between Beirut's rival factions.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged his country would play 'an active role' in helping end the crisis, which started when ministers loyal to the militant Shiite movement Hezbollah and its allies resigned from the cabinet and brought down the government of Premier Saad Hariri.

'We cannot tolerate Lebanon becoming mired in political instability,' Erdogan said, according to local media.

As a western diplomatic source in Beirut explained: 'Turkey, like other countries in the region, fears instability in Lebanon could have consequences in the wider region.'

The latest crisis engulfing Lebanon is the result of simmering tension among the government's rivaling factions over a UN tribunal's probe into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Saad's father.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is based in The Hague, is widely expected to indict members of the Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Such a development could re-ignite violence in a country that endured years of civil unrest in the 1980s.

Hezbollah has denounced the STL as 'an Israeli-US plot' and has demanded the Hariri's Western-backed government reject its findings - even before they are released.

But Hariri has resisted the pressure and has refused to stop cooperating with The Hague.

Such a stance prompted Hezbollah to resign from the government last week, leaving Hariri to act as caretaker prime minister while political consultations took place.

Hariri has since been trying to rally support from the United States, France and Turkey.

Meanwhile, Western diplomatic sources in Beirut said Erodgan had managed to convince Iran to put pressure on Hezbollah to try and find ways of solving the crisis.

The diplomat said a high-ranking Iranian official was expected to arrive in Ankara for talks with Erodgan after the summit in Syria.

Since the Lebanese crisis began, Erdogan has been playing a leading role, holding separate telephone conversations on the issue with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Saudi King Abdullah, as well as Syrian and Qatari officials.

Qatar played an important role in solving a similar political crisis in 2008.

On that occasion, Qatar managed to help end week-long clashes between Hezbollah and followers of Hariri in Lebanon's worst internal fighting since the 1975-1990 civil war.

At least 81 people were killed in that round of violence, exacerbating sectarian tension between Shiites loyal to Hezbollah and Druze and Sunni followers of the ruling coalition.

Israel, for its part, has not yet officially commented on the situatin in its neighbour to the north. But it is safe to assume that it is keeping a very close watch on the situation, not least because of concerns that Hezbollah may try to divert attention away by starting fresh trouble along Lebanon's southern border.

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