Congratulations!

I want to congratulate all Lebanese and all freedom supporters everywhere, for the withdrawal of all Syrian troops from Lebanon.

This dream that seemed so far away just four month ago was made true so fast that I still can’t quite believe it!

Alas the price was, oh, so high. Rafic Hariri had to die for our dream to come true. So thank you Mr. Hariri where ever you are…

May Lebanon stay forever free.

What an awful time, an anticlimax is

The exuberance, the anger, the sadness and then the thrill of victory the pride in our new found unity of the first few weeks, just got muddled over time.

The president and those who still followed Syria’s orders had only one goal, to lose time, in order to postpone the election, by any means. For if the election were held on time it would be an overwhelming victory to the opposition.

Even though Omar Karamah was forced to resign by the pressure of the Lebanese who took to the streets, Syria could not accept its defeat. So in spite and in disregard of the Lebanese people will, they ordered their Lebanese collaborators to reinstate him. And reinstated he was.

Then the prime minister did as he was told, losing more than a month in a so called effort to form a new national unity government.

Meanwhile the country economic situation was getting even worse. Downtown Beirut was becoming a ghost town. And as if the situation was not bad enough, a series of explosion rocked the country.

Every four days of so an explosion went out in the middle of the night, in a Christian dominated area. The explosions targeted areas deserted at night. It was clear that the aim was to damage the economic life of these areas. In a way the Syrian president was holding true to the promise he made to the late Hariri.

Bashar al Assad, the Syrian president told Hariri in their last meeting, “I will go out of Lebanon, but rest assured that before I go I will burn it to the ground, like we did two decades ago…”

After five explosions this terror campaign stopped as suddenly as it began. No one was arrested. And the security appertus did not even pretend to make an investigation.

Why did the explosion stop, no one know. Maybe because the Christian did not rise to arms and attack the Muslims as a response to the bombs. Maybe because several civil groups from all over Lebanon raised funds to help pay the damages. Or maybe because those who planted these bombs achived their mysterious goals.

Finally, after a week or so since the last explosion – What a coincidence! - the PM seemed on the verge of finalizing his prolonged charade, and forming his government. The distribution of the ministries’ spoils went sour. Some found that the ministries they got, had no more money to be stolen! And they refused to head them.

Karameh resigned, for the second time. His orders to lose as much time as possible, perfectly executed. And a new Prime minister was chosen. A somehow neutral guy - with ties to both, the opposition and the Syria’s allies - was agreed upon. And Najib Mikati, our new PM formed his government in less than two days!!! A solution to Lebanon’s crisis seemed possible.

But, this perfect happy ending frightens me. I sense a trap. Or maybe I am getting too paranoid. There is no way to know. For, as the old saying goes; only time will tell.