Lebanon’s prime minister does a volte-face over the murder of his father

EVERYONE knows it takes chameleon qualities to survive the fractious, shifting politics of Lebanon. Still, this week’s admission by its prime minister, Saad Hariri, that he had acted rashly and wrongly by accusing Syria of his father’s murder ranks as a particularly lurid change of hue. Mr Hariri’s outspoken belief in Syrian guilt for the car-bombing of February 2005 that killed his father Rafik, a billionaire five-times prime minister, was shared by many Lebanese.
Their united anger sparked the Cedar revolution that spring. Massive anti-Syrian demonstrations prompted the abrupt withdrawal of Syrian “peacekeeping” troops and intelligence agents, ending nearly three decades of Syrian domination over its smaller neighbour.

But the pieces of Lebanon’s complex sectarian puzzle have been shaken since then. Swept into power by the Cedar revolution, the younger Hariri and his allies have held parliamentary majorities, but only just. Pro-Syrian factions, bolstered by the unrivalled armed muscle of Hizbullah, the Shia party-cum-militia that fought a war with Israel in 2006, harassed and hamstrung Mr Hariri’s government, forcing it into a power-sharing deal in 2008. His political alliance has gradually weakened, and his main foreign backer, Saudi Arabia, has repaired its own strained ties with Syria. To many Lebanese, it became clear that it was only a matter of time before Mr Hariri made peace with Syria’s president, Bashar Assad, and sought his help to keep the lid on Lebanon’s troubles.

Hence, say cynics, the about-face on who was responsible not just for the killing of Rafik Hariri, but for a string of assassinations that felled politicians, public figures and ordinary Lebanese civilians between 2005 and 2008. Yet others, less cynical, suggest that perhaps Mr Hariri may genuinely have changed his mind. One theory is that the UN’s international tribunal investigating the crimes has evidence pointing to a different culprit, namely Hizbullah, or a rogue group within the militia. Such a revelation, sadly for the weary Lebanese people, might prove just as explosive as solid proof of Syrian complicity.