6 Defeats Weakened Syria in Lebanon since 2004
Six defeats have reportedly "weakened" Syria in Lebanon, said a special report prepared by a leading European foreign ministry diplomatic service.
The report, published by the daily an-Nahar on Friday, also said the Opposition can neither obstruct nor make changes.
It said the process of forming a Lebanese national unity government under Prime Minister Saad Hariri as well as domestic and external contacts related to this issue have uncovered four basic facts, most notably that the balance of forces on the Lebanese arena is not in the interest of Syria as a result of series of defeats and setbacks suffered by President Bashar al-Assad”s regime.
The repor said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad”s regime "failed to achieve real victory" ever since it got engaged in 2004 in a confrontation with the majority March 14 forces.
Not even did Damascus reclaim real victory when the Lebanese Opposition gained veto power under the government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora which came following the Doha Accord "since the Opposition failed to make changes to its benefits, then it lost the June 7 parliamentary elections," the report added.
It said the Hizbullah-led Opposition is "unable to change the situation to its advantage, not via political nor military means," adding that Iran”s and Syria”s allies in Lebanon are also unable to torpedo or overcome outcome of the June 7 elections which resulted in a clear victory for the March 14 forces.
The defeats were stated as follows:
– The Syrian regime paid, one way or another, the price for the assassination of former PM-Rafik Hariri and his companions.
– Assad”s regime has lost the ability to hold a grip over Lebanon and to end the state of legitimate independence since April 2006 when Assad was forced to withdraw his troops as well his intelligence and security services from Lebanon as a result of a massive popular, peaceful uprising and Arab and global support.
– The 2005 parliamentary victory for the majority "independent" forces.
– Failure in three major attempts carried out by allies of the Syrian-Iranian axis or by forces close in order to eliminate independent forces and weaken Lebanon from inside in an effort to re-link it with Syria.
– Victory of the March 14 coalition and its allies in the June 2009 parliamentary elections.
– Failure of the Assad regime to separate the Lebanese dossier from the path of Syria”s relations with Arab and foreign countries led by the United States, France, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Assad has also failed to reduce Arab and international support for Lebanon.