Arab absence from the summit of Lebanon .. Any messages?

Afif Diab - Beirut

Observers in Lebanon saw that the wish of Beirut to host the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit with the participation of all the Arab leaders had failed, after having relied politically on the widest Arab participation in it.

Political analyst Nidal Khalid said that "the Arab presence at the summit has dropped a clear political message to the divided Lebanese authority itself, which has so far been unable to form a government for eight months."

"This was the result of disagreements over the sharing of quotas, which contributed to the deterioration of the political situation. The political discourse and the exchange of local accusations about who is responsible for not forming the government led to a cooling of Arab enthusiasm towards Lebanon," Khalid told Al Jazeera Net.

According to the spokesman, the absence of Arab leaders from participating in the Beirut summit, with the exception of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, "is the result of American pressure on a number of Arab countries."

The researcher sees this "pressure" as the source of "the American-Iranian conflict and Washington's attempt to strike a blow at Tehran from Beirut and to tell the Lebanese government that it is time to confront Iranian influence in Lebanon."

The visit of US Assistant Secretary of State David Hill last week to Beirut and his announcement that his country would move forward in confronting Iran's activities in the region, including financing Hezbollah activities, "is proof of the American decision that Lebanon should determine its position and not remain gray in the conflict with Iran."

Iran's alliance
Former Iranian MP Fares Said said the Iranian team in Lebanon had scored "a victory by destroying the summit at the level of presidents."

"The Iranian team - the Syrian regime represented by Hezbollah and the Amal movement in Lebanon - has put through its political practice a condition for the presence of Arab leaders to the summit, either to enter Beirut on my terms or your entry will be meager," he said. Syrian regime to Lebanon by inviting him to participate in the summit. "

"I think it is an Arab message to the Lebanese state and to Iran, and I can not consider that the Arabs were better off not attending them, but I understand their reaction," he said.

Internal differences
For his part, said political analyst Radwan Aqil that the internal dispute on the summit was in place before the start of preparation.

Aqeel told Al Jazeera Net that the expectations were clear that "the Arab leaders of the first grade will not participate, especially since there is an Arab political summit after Beirut in Tunisia."

He added that the dispute between President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri was before raising the issue of Libya's participation. "President Berri had asked Aoun to postpone the summit until the formation of the government and the Arab League decided to return Syria to take its seat."

Aqeel explained that all the information in the Lebanese official circles were indicating that the heads and kings of Arab countries will not participate in the summit, in addition to the dispute over Libya's participation and call unless it helps in revealing the fate of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions.

"The preparations for the summit were not serious and the Lebanese diplomacy did not succeed in reading the Arab reality well. Some Arab leaders are not enthusiastic about visiting Lebanon at the moment, and therefore the summit should have been postponed," he said.

Lebanese sabotage
"The role played by the head of the constitutional authority (Nabih Berri) is boycotting international efforts to increase the pressure on Lebanon to collect regional bills," political analyst Michel Abu Najm said.

Abu Najm told Al-Jazeera Net that all this "contributed to providing excuses for some Arabs to escape the headache of the Lebanese."

He said that what he described as "subversive performance" is "targeting all Lebanon and its image and not the site of the presidency." He stressed that the personality of President Michel Aoun "has not been silent about injustice, and knows how to carry out his steps to protect Lebanon and the regularity of the work of its institutions."