Divisions among Officials on Lebanon’s Chairmanship of Arab League Ministerial Council

Lebanon is set to chair the Arab League Ministerial Council next month amid unannounced divisions among top Lebanese officials on whether to back down from the mission, As Safir daily reported on Tuesday.

Presidential sources told the newspaper that pragmatic consultations are underway on whether Lebanon should preside the Council for a six-month period starting September 5.

Some officials have expressed fears that Lebanon’s chairmanship would harm the policy that the country has adopted since the eruption of the Syrian revolution in March 2011.

Lebanon has been distancing itself from the uprising in Syria which started as peaceful demonstrations against the Assad regime but turned into a bloody crackdown that has so far led to 25,000 deaths.

Any decision reached among officials would be based on Lebanon’s interest first, the presidential sources said.

As Safir quoted a cabinet minister loyal to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat as saying that the PSP ministers and those loyal to President Michel Suleiman prefer to reject Lebanon’s mission in the Arab League and ask Libya to take over the chairmanship of the Ministerial Council.

The centrist parties that reject Lebanon’s presidency of the council believe that this role would further instigate tension in Lebanon which has been reeling from a political and security crisis, the daily said.

But the Amal movement and Hizbullah leaderships and the remaining members of the March 8 majority coalition that make up most of the government’s membership believe that the Syrian crisis needs an Arab voice similar to that of Lebanon that is acceptable by both the Syrian regime and the opposition, As Safir said.

The sides that oppose a rejection to back down from the Arab League role also believe that Lebanon would have an opportunity to garner Arab support for the Lebanese army and a condemnation of the daily violations of Lebanese airspace by Israeli warplanes in contravention of Security Council Resolution 1701.

According to informed diplomatic sources, Lebanon’s chairmanship of the Ministerial Council would be an opportunity for the country to consecrate its official policy of steering itself clear of the Syrian crisis.