Aoun's Syria Visit Hailed as Historic

A visit to Damascus by Lebanese Christian leader Michel Aoun, once a virulent opponent of Syria, was widely covered by the local press this week.



Aoun visited Syria as part of a delegation of Christian and Shia politicians from Lebanon, and met President Bashar al-Assad on December 4.



A day before that meeting, the pro-government website Syria News suggested that having ties with Damascuys could help Aoun’s party, the Free Patriotic Movement, do well in next year’s parliamentary elections Aoun might also help facilitate talks between Syria and the United States, Syria News said.



The website reported that Aoun called for Lebanon to have a special relationship with Syria, and that he enjoys great popularity among the various Lebanese Christian groups.



The pro-government Al-Watan newspaper described Aoun’s visit as historic. In an opinion piece published on December 2, Ibrahim Daraghi, a law professor at Damascus university and a frequent contributor to the newspaper, accused the anti-Syrian March 14 movement in Lebanon of trying to limit Aoun’s role and influence since he returned to the country in 2005.



According to Daraghi, some Lebanese parties were annoyed because Aoun indicated he no longer had a problem with Damascus once the Syrian army left Lebanon that year.



While Aoun’s visit was praised by the pro-government press, some opposition writers criticised his rapprochement with his former foes.



Opposition writer Muhammad Nadim Quefatiah said Aoun was damaging Lebanon’s quest for independence “by forming an alliance with those who want to destroy Lebanon”.



Quefatiah, who is based in Yemen, made the comments in an article published on New Syrian, an opposition website, on December 1.



Aoun, a former Lebanese army general, was forced into exile in France in 1990 after losing against Syrian troops during the Lebanon war. From Paris, Aoun led an anti-Syrian movement in Lebanon.



He returned to Lebanon in 2005, shortly after the final Syrian troop withdrawal, and the following year formed a coalition with Syrian allies in Lebanon, including the Shia Hezbollah party.