Its already a tradition to spend few days in Bint Jbeil every time I am in Lebanon. The Bint Jbeil also called Hizballah's stronghold and the capital of liberation. Aside from the connection to the party, Bint Jbeil is a wonderful, calm place and the people truly friendly. You can safely walk everywhere and get tea invitations from perfect strangers.
On Thursday, the European Parliament head Hans-Gert Poettering visited Bint Jbeil for 45 minutes. It was a small gathering with tight security, from the Lebanese army, UNIFIL [I saw the French and Italians], local police etc.
The mayor of Bint Jbeil welcomed Mr Poettering and another mayor had prepared a presentation of the area before and after the July 2006 war. On all sides people spoke with conviction. Mr Poettering is on a tour of the region [ Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine] since EU is looking for a more active role, and the goal is to protect the dignity of the invididuals in all the above countries.
The Daily Star interview with the head of EU Parliament.
Which concrete steps would you like to see?
A: One I mentioned already: Diplomatic recognition, the recognition of Lebanon and the exchange of ambassadors. Then concrete steps of border controls. I’m not here to say what the steps must be, but you’re asking me, so I give you these two. It's a question now of Lebanon and Syria to develop confidence-building measures, and we want in the European Union to see these very concrete confidence-building measures.
Q: What is the EU position regarding the establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon?
A: For us it's important in the European Parliament that we have an international inquiry in the murder of Prime Minister Hariri and in that connection perhaps an investigation for other assassinations as well. So we have to insist that these assassinations are investigated on an international level. So there is a commitment of the European Parliament to this.
Q: Will you tell this to Syrian President Bashar Assad?
A: I might speak with him in the sense that we have to investigate in this question.
Q: How does the EU view developments in the region, such as Syrian-Israeli talks and negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program?
A: We in the European Union and European Parliament – and especially myself – it must be clear for everybody that we always will defend the integrity and security of Israel. People who take the existence of Israel into question will find our strongest opposition. Having said this, we must find solutions, and the Israelis must take steps as well. We in the European Union and in the European Parliament welcome that there are now negotiations or contacts or dialogue between Syria and Israel with the support of Turkey. So we should use all diplomatic means to find solutions [so] that the states in this region accept each other and that we find of course a solution for a viable Palestinian state as well.
That is the rhetoric. In practice, the EU can help at a social, humanitarian, and economic [through investments] level, but it cannot impose its vision on Israel, Syria, Lebanon or on President Abbas. It simply does not work like that, and the triumfal return of Syria to the table of international powers [ Syria was never really isolated] is proof enough that the West always chooses the easy and fastest way to achieve its own agenda.
Since my last visit in the spring, there have been serious improvements. Qatar is financing the reconstruction of the town, directly, not through the government. And to my absolute disappointment, the government continues to ignore the south. I am not talking only of BInt Jbeil. In the south there are Christian villages as well. I said it a zillion times and I will keep saying it – you want to take the popular support from Hizballah? Fine. Stop ignoring parts of the country. Act as the government for all Lebanese not only for some. I have been told many times in Bint Jbeil and the villages close by, that they don't care about politics. They want a safe environment, they want full-time electricity, working sewage, roads, new schools and jobs. As Bilal Sharara, someone that I believe deserves the name of Mr Bint Jbeil, says, ‘we want what everyone else in the country wants.’
For decades, the south has been ignored by all governments. Don't ask why. Or you can ask, but you may not like the answers I got. Hizballah rules where the government let it rule full stop.
Its not yet late for the government to take its mission seriously. Let's say the government makes the roads. Will Hizballah bomb them? I don't think so. Not unless they want to have the people going against them. Why does not the government play it smart and do its job? If the answer is that it does not care about the Shias, Christians, Sunnis there, then its just shameful and all the ministers starting with the Prime Minister should resign asap.
While making visits in the town, I was told privately, that they’d like to have the government there, to have rules, to know they can turn to someone for help. I find it extremely frustrating when I see that the government complains, while doing nothing. Can the people, the average citizens be blamed for taking the party's side? Give them options and in a decade or so, the results will be much different than what we have today. Build trust, build citizenship. That's the slogan the state needs to support and enforce through all peaceful means available.
