Yes, On the Basis of Shared Premises

By Hala Salaam Maksoud

Lebanese can unite regardless of religion, sect or political ideology, on the basis of certain shared premises:

They must search for a formula to reconstruct Lebanon on a rational basis that ensures peace, stability and prosperity to all.

They must agree that nothing can be resolved by war, and that no party can impose its will on the others. Fourteen years of war have taught us that when people feel strongly about issues, they cannot be subdued into acquiescence: Nor will the regional powers and the world allow any one party to have total supremacy in Lebanon.

Lebanese must consider each other good Lebanese. Though they may disagree on many issues, all are equally attached to the 10,452.6 square kilometers that constitute Lebanon. All are committed to the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon and to the Lebanese government extending its authority over all of the country.

Lebanese are all sick and tired of the divisive language which seems to have won the day, and of the extremism which has only succeeded in destroying our country and pulling us apart.

I believe Lebanese would now agree that a country is not only a geographic area, but, at a deeper level, the bonds and the ideals shared by the people. Perhaps our country did not start with common ideals, but they have developed during the past 65 years of our sharing the same fate.

We all boast of the beauty of our country, its mountains and its coast. We all enjoy its foods and ambience. We can all be proud, as well, of the human experience which was Lebanon—the Lebanon where 17 sects lived together and prospered. Lebanon truly represented the values of tolerance, human integration, pluralism, equality and freedom.

We Lebanese cherish these values and we have proven time and again our unabated commitment to them. While the Lebanese conflict has shown the barbarism and antiquated ideology of some, it has shown the heroism and steadfastness of the population at large.

There is no heroism in standing behind a tank and firing at innocent civilians. If there is any heroism now in Lebanon, it is that manifested by the civilians who, despite deprivation, suffering and pain, stand by their judgment that they will not be part of what is, in order that they can keep their role for the future healing and rebuilding of Lebanon, the patrimony and the idea.

Two years ago, Professor Kamal Salibi, the foremost Lebanese historian, gave a lecture at Georgetown University, entitled "East Side Story, West Side Story. " He went through every single event which took place since the beginning of the civil strife in 1975 and how it is interpreted on each side of the Green Line which divides Beirut. Listening to him was shattering. All of us would like to believe that there is one truth and that this is the one we know. Perhaps the first premise upon which all of the others involved in the reunification of Lebanon can be based is that there is no truth with a capital T. There are perceptions, and in politics perceptions are often more important than reality.

Dr. Hala Salaam Maksoud is a founder and former president of the Arab Women's Council in Washington, DC Her uncle, Saeb Salaam, was former prime minister of Lebanon. Her husband, Dr. Clovis Maksoud, is Arab League ambassador to the UN.