On Wednesday, April 17, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was able to breathe new life into the Gathering of Lebanese National Parties and Figures. The group, which supports the Assad government, had requested a visit with the president eight months prior. Finally, their request was accepted.
There were only two conditions for the visit: each speaker would have two minutes to address Assad and they were not allowed to wear brightly colored neckties.
Most of the delegation members wore vibrant red or blue ties. Others wore no tie at all, perhaps not able to find one in a sufficiently muted color.
Though the invitees wanted to spread the news, they kept the visit a secret. Most members of the delegation preferred to cross into Syria on Saturday, spending the night at the Damascus Sheraton before heading to the presidential palace.
According to sources, some in the delegation opted to sleep in the hotel lobby, fearing that they might miss the presidential bus. In the meantime, the group’s leader sought to calm his nervous colleagues by entertaining them with his usual quips, while former minister Abdul-Rahim Mourad explained the latest Syrian military developments on the ground.
At 6 am on Sunday, five hours before the scheduled appointment, those sleeping in the lobby were roused by MP Assem Qanso’s loud voice, as he rehearsed his speech. MPs Fadi al-Awar and Salim Aoun then arrived from Beirut.
At 10:30, a presidential motorcade consisting of four cars arrived at the Sheraton. Current and former MPs and ministers, as well as some party leaders, rode in the first car, while the three other vehicles contained the rest.
During the ten-minute journey to the Muhajireen district, MP Salim Aoun could not hide his astonishment at the absence of any security or armored vehicles, even outside the presidential palace. MP Aoun’s surprise was even bigger when he was allowed to enter the presidential palace without being searched.
Secretary General of the Arab Democratic Party Rifaat Eid reassured Aoun, and told him that there was no cause for concern. Over the course of several visits, he had grown accustomed to the absence of security measures. When Aoun asked him what if one of them had been carrying a gun, Eid said, “It’s all under control.”
One by one, the delegation’s members took their seats. Assad entered the hall and shook hands with each member. Mourad sat to Assad’s right, while Hajj Hussein Khalil, political aide to Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, sat to his left.
Though the two hour-long meeting was mostly serious in tone, with participants trying to obtain as much information from the president as possible, there was still room for some lighthearted political jokes. For instance, there were jibes about outgoing Prime Minister Mikati’s dissociation policy over the conflict in Syria.
And when Assad praised the positive role of the Armenian community in Lebanon and Syria, the Tashnaq official could not resist telling Assad, after some hesitation, “Mr. President, you are finally convinced of what we [the Armenians] have been saying about the Turks for so long.” All those present, including Assad, erupted in laughter.
However, MP Aoun interrupted them to remind Assad of the unfair treatment afforded to his Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) from the 1990s until 2005. He told the Syrian president, “Those who were under your wing before are bearing swords against you today.” Assad then praised the FPM’s wisdom and all those who are backing Syria today.
At the end of the meeting, Assad shook hands again with his visitors, and sent his greetings to Beirut. The visitors returned to the Sheraton for lunch, where they discussed and analyzed Assad’s words before heading home.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
There were only two conditions for the visit: each speaker would have two minutes to address Assad and they were not allowed to wear brightly colored neckties.
Most of the delegation members wore vibrant red or blue ties. Others wore no tie at all, perhaps not able to find one in a sufficiently muted color.
Though the invitees wanted to spread the news, they kept the visit a secret. Most members of the delegation preferred to cross into Syria on Saturday, spending the night at the Damascus Sheraton before heading to the presidential palace.
According to sources, some in the delegation opted to sleep in the hotel lobby, fearing that they might miss the presidential bus. In the meantime, the group’s leader sought to calm his nervous colleagues by entertaining them with his usual quips, while former minister Abdul-Rahim Mourad explained the latest Syrian military developments on the ground.
At 6 am on Sunday, five hours before the scheduled appointment, those sleeping in the lobby were roused by MP Assem Qanso’s loud voice, as he rehearsed his speech. MPs Fadi al-Awar and Salim Aoun then arrived from Beirut.
 |
| Salim Aoun |
During the ten-minute journey to the Muhajireen district, MP Salim Aoun could not hide his astonishment at the absence of any security or armored vehicles, even outside the presidential palace. MP Aoun’s surprise was even bigger when he was allowed to enter the presidential palace without being searched.
Secretary General of the Arab Democratic Party Rifaat Eid reassured Aoun, and told him that there was no cause for concern. Over the course of several visits, he had grown accustomed to the absence of security measures. When Aoun asked him what if one of them had been carrying a gun, Eid said, “It’s all under control.”
One by one, the delegation’s members took their seats. Assad entered the hall and shook hands with each member. Mourad sat to Assad’s right, while Hajj Hussein Khalil, political aide to Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, sat to his left.
Though the two hour-long meeting was mostly serious in tone, with participants trying to obtain as much information from the president as possible, there was still room for some lighthearted political jokes. For instance, there were jibes about outgoing Prime Minister Mikati’s dissociation policy over the conflict in Syria.And when Assad praised the positive role of the Armenian community in Lebanon and Syria, the Tashnaq official could not resist telling Assad, after some hesitation, “Mr. President, you are finally convinced of what we [the Armenians] have been saying about the Turks for so long.” All those present, including Assad, erupted in laughter.
However, MP Aoun interrupted them to remind Assad of the unfair treatment afforded to his Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) from the 1990s until 2005. He told the Syrian president, “Those who were under your wing before are bearing swords against you today.” Assad then praised the FPM’s wisdom and all those who are backing Syria today.
At the end of the meeting, Assad shook hands again with his visitors, and sent his greetings to Beirut. The visitors returned to the Sheraton for lunch, where they discussed and analyzed Assad’s words before heading home.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
Uprooted Palestinian
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!
No comments:
Post a Comment