Arab States Step Up Diplomatic Efforts to Contain Lebanese Tensions

Regional Support

Leaders from across the Middle East will be arriving in Beirut today for a high profile summit aimed at halting Lebanon’s slide towards renewed sectarian conflict. Tensions have been growing in Lebanon following reports of the possible indictment of Hizbollah members over the murder of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. The summit, which although hastily organised, was the first regional diplomatic initiative on Lebanon since Doha-brokered peace talks just over two years ago. Security remained tight ahead of the meeting and thousands of additional security personnel were deployed for the event. Saudi and Syrian flags fluttered across the capital to mark the landmark visit. The visit will be the first by the Syrian president since the assassination of Hariri when ties were severed amid suspicions of Syria’s involvement in the killing. Saudi’s King Abdullah will be the first Saudi monarch to visit the country since 1957. His last visit to Lebanon was when he was crown prince.

The Saudi Arabia-Syria Relationship

The meeting itself appears to be fundamentally a Saudi-led initiative and marks one of the first major Saudi regional initiatives for some time. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah kick-started a regional tour aimed at shoring up support for summit on Wednesday (28 July). King Abdullah's first port of call was Egypt, where he held talks with Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have a closely aligned policy regarding a number of regional issues, including the crises in Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories. The Saudi King's next stop was Jordan and Syria. In Jordan, the Saudi King met with Jordan's King Abdullah, who, whose policies like that of Mubarak remains aligned with Saudi Arabia at least with regards to key regional issues. The king met with President Asad who is set to accompany him on his trip to Lebanon. They are set to arrive at a meeting together with Lebanese president Michel Suleiman before attending a lunch with members of Lebanon’s unity government and members of Hizbollah. Saudi Arabia's relationship with Syria was also somewhat cold until recently; the resumption of ties between the two countries and their ability to co-operate on issues such as Lebanon have been seen as increasingly important for regional stability.

The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, is also expected in Beirut on Friday. Doha played a key role in brokering a peace deal between rival factions in May 2008 which saw the election of a new president, ending months of political stalemate. Under the agreement, parties agreed on parliament speaker who would invite parliament to convene to elect the then consensus presidential candidate Michel Suleiman. The agreement also paved way for the formation of a national unity government composed of 30 ministers: the "majority" had six ministers, the "opposition" 11 ministers, and the president chose three. All parties pledged their commitment to avoid obstructing the government’s actions. The signing of the agreement was followed by pledges of billions of dollars in investment and development aid. The recent rapprochement between Saudi and Arabia and Syria plus Syria’s willingness to step back from the process was seen as key factor in the success of the Doha agreement.

Outlook and Implications