Australian Ambassador to Lebanon Lyndall Sachs praised the idea of a system that allows a majority and a minority in government to peacefully rotate from a position of dominance.
Ideally, the majority rules, while the opposition looks for creative alternative political ways to solve crises that it will implement once it takes power, Sachs told the Lebanese daily Al-Balad.
She also noted that Australia does not want it to look like it is interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs, but that it is encouraging dialogue and supporting civil peace.
Sachs said that after the Doha Agreement, political leaders in Lebanon should act to take advantage of the opportunity for peace so the country can move away from crises and play its role among states.
Sachs said that Australia has “complicated” relations with Hezbollah, noting that her country has classified the party’s military wing as a terrorist organization. She said Australia does not hold direct talks with Hezbollah politicians, but with people close to the party. That way, she said, they can be familiar with “the opinions of a key player in Lebanese politics.”
Sachs said Australia will resume relations with Hezbollah “once the party abandons its weapons and drops its violent objectives, which we cannot accept inside a country working for peace.”
Violence leads to civilian deaths, Sachs said, and it damages the national economy. “It has never led to anything useful. The solution is negotiation.”