Michel Aoun, former prime minister of Lebanon and commander of the Lebanese army, writes in today's Wall Street Journal of his belief that, sooner or later, the parties engaged in today's war will have to sit around a table and negotiate. Beginning such negotiations now rather than later will mean fewer casualties.
Aoun contends that the basic problem is the differing world views of the protagonists. He argues that we have to "change the basis upon which problems are judged...to one based on universal and unarguable principles", the first of which is the sanctity of all human life, yours and your enemy's.
Aoun has negotiated successfully with Hezbollah without selling his soul or that of his followers. He claims that the issue of an armed Hezbollah can be resolved if Lebanese prisoners are freed from Israeli jails, Shebaa Farms is returned to Israel and the establishment of "a strong national army and central state decision-making authority in which all political groups are assured a fair opportunity to participate". But, of course, he asks that Lebanon be protected from Israeli attacks.
Lebanon has a strangely comprised government in that power is allocated among various religious groups; the President must be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni, the Speaker a Shia and the number of seats in the legislative assembly are allocated on a religious basis also. Aoun feels that this system results in a government with the powers of a two-third majority, yet one that is elected by one-third of the people. This has resulted in the inability of the government to manage Southern Lebanon. So, Aoun also wants the elction laws changed.
He makes some good points.
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