Lebanon asks for US and French help re terrorism
By Olivier Guitta
An FBI team, requested by Lebanese PM Fuad Siniora, just arrived in Beirut today to help solve the latest string of terrorist attacks, since Rafik Al Hariri's murder on February 14. In fact, after the attempted murder of the popular journalist May Chidiac, the Lebanese authorities have had enough. They recognize their incapacity to fight effectively terror at home and that's why on top of the FBI they requested major logistical and technical help from France. France's mission will be to strengthen the Lebanese security forces to better deal future acts of terror.
Also, interestingly Elias Murr, the Vice Prime Minister who barely escaped a few months ago a car bomb attack, revealed that Syrian general Ghazale, the de facto ruler of Lebanon before Syria's forced pullout, physically threatened him.
A few weeks ago, French president Chirac contacted major Lebanese leaders and told them that he had specific intel that their life was in danger. He then offered to fly them to Paris and protect them with French Secret Service agents. Most of the Lebanese in question including Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt accepted and stayed in Paris for about a week.
The situation in Lebanon is explosive between the bombings against Christian targets and the assassinations of political leaders and journalists alike. And most leads point towards Syria. Syrian officials had even declared way before the pullout of troops that: "We destroyed the country once and we can do it again -- we will never allow ourselves to be pushed out." In such an environment, the US-French alliance in keeping the pressure on Assad is having concrete results. The findings of the UN commission on Hariri's murder could prove to be the smoking gun.
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