The draft UN resolution put forth by the United States and France to end the war in Lebanon is so open-ended and so inequitable that even the top diplomat of one of its sponsors, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, has freely acknowledged that after it is passed, violence in the Middle East will continue "for some time to come."

Rice naively insists that the resolution provides a way forward. But in reality, the resolution creates conditions that resemble those of a troubled past in which Hezbullah originated.

We must not forget that Hezbullah's armed resistance was spawned by Israel's invasion and occupation of Lebanon in 1982. During 18 years of Israeli occupation, Hizbullah grew under the very noses of its occupiers into a formidable force that now poses a serious challenge to its oppressors. Any UN resolution that fails to demand the withdrawal of Israel's 10,000 troops from South Lebanon will invite further armed resistance.

Sanctioning Israel's occupation of South Lebanon also ensures that thousands of refugees, whose humanitarian plight ought to be an utmost concern in any UN resolution, will not be able to return to their homes in the South. Furthermore, instead of calling for a cease-fire, the resolution calls upon Hezbullah to cease all of its attacks, while implicitly giving Israel the right to continue its "defensive" operations.

Where does that leave Lebanese civilians? Israel has argued that all of its military activities in Lebanon since July 12, including the killing of over 900 civilians, have been justified in the name of self-defense. Are the Lebanese now expected to freely allow themselves to be slaughtered in their hundreds by an occupying army?

This is hardly the kind of freedom that the Lebanese people had in mind last year when U.S. President George W. Bush held up their newly sovereign democracy as a bright and shining example in the Arab world. The U.S. administration welcomed the credit for Lebanon's "Cedar Revolution," which occurred after Bush rescinded the diplomatic cover given to Syria's occupation by his father, George H.W. Bush. Since Syria's withdrawal in 2005, Bush has vowed many times to protect Lebanon's fledgling sovereignty and assist the efforts of the Lebanese to strengthen and consolidate their state.

But now the Lebanese state is likely to soon become a casualty of the war. Through its draft resolution, which ignores all Lebanese concerns, the UN will be saying to the Lebanese people that their government is irrelevant. Lebanese officials are united around a seven-point plan put forth by Lebanese Premier Fouad Siniora at a crisis meeting in Rome. Siniora's plan has the full support of Speaker Nabih Berri, who has mobilized the Parliament and all political parties, including Hezbullah, to approve it. But the plan has been completely ignored by the international community in favor of imposing an unrealistic resolution that will only prolong suffering and violence.

The components of Siniora's plan, which even has the backing of certain political forces that were allies of Israel during its last invasion, deserve a second look. The plan takes into account the urgent need to address the humanitarian concerns of refugees. It also seeks to maintain and strengthen the Lebanese state, which is the only force that will be able to play a stabilizing role in Lebanon in the wake of this war.

The plan satisfies Lebanese fears, which are born out of seven Israeli invasions and 22 years of occupation; and it simultaneously addresses the valid concerns of Israelis by disbanding militias and imposing the Lebanese state's authority in its territories. It also provides guarantees to both sides by allowing the deployment of international forces to play a robust role in preventing future confrontations along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

The aim of the Lebanese government is to reach a point of closure in the decades-long Lebanese-Israeli conflict and to create the required conditions for a lasting armistice. Siniora's plan ties up all loose ends, including the issues of the Shebaa Farms, Israeli incursions, and Hizbullah's weapons. But the UN's draft resolution leaves these issues open and sanctions new conditions that will prolong conflict. Instead of closing the door on the current war and on future conflicts, the resolution will open a pandora's box.

(Source: The Daily Star)