The Looming Lebanese Battle Over Syria In The UN Security Council

As talks mount over a potential UNSC resolution condemning Assad’s crackdown in Syria, it will be interesting to watch the way Nawaf Salam, Lebanon’s representative in the UNSC, will vote on it.

Mr. Salam was catapulted to fame as the Arab diplomat who drafted the UNSC resolution against Gaddafi’s regime. But he will find a resolution condemning the violence of the Syrian regime a much more difficult proposition for him to vote on.

Things were easy with Gaddafi. There was Lebanese unanimity in hating him. March 14 went with the Saudi and Gulf position of punishing the Libyan leader, and March 8 hated him because he kidnapped Imam Moussa el Sadr.

Syria on the other hand will provide a dilemma for Mr. Salam that not even abstaining can solve. The two sides of the Lebanese divide feel strongly about what’s going on in Syria, and both sides will fight for ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ votes respectively. This will be an interesting one to watch, but we all know the result in advance: We will abstain.

Update: The Lebanese caretaking Minister of Foreign affairs Ali Shami has started pressuring Mr. Salam into “rejecting” any talk of resolutions against Syria. Minster Shami is a Berri Loyalist.

Update 2: March 14 figures are arguing for abstention..