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PART 14  (Translated freely: By Elias Bejjani) The Army Commander's position was offered to the Air Force Commander Brigadier Fahiem Hajj, but he declined it after notifying General Aoun and the military high command. Brigadier Emil Lahoud who had dreamed of the position for a long time could not believe it when it was offered for him. He accepted without question, collected his luggage and left the East Beirut area heading to West Beirut on foot through the Al-Mathaf crossing post. It was very significant that Lahoud's military driver refused to escort him in his journey. The Lebanese Army officers and soldiers assigned the security and defense mission at the Mathaf crossing post (frontier) identified Lahoud and immediately notified the Army command. General Aoun asked the officer in charge to let Lahoud cross the post peacefully. He said: "Let him leave and continue executing the plan he has had in his head for a long time." The last meeting that took place between General Aoun, in his capacity as Prime Minister and Army Commander, and Dr. Samir Geagea, Leader for the Lebanese Forces, was on October 2, 1990 at the Baabda presidential palace. The activity at the palace that day was unusual: hundreds of delegations from several villages, cities, towns, schools, clubs, syndicates and universities came to the palace to show their support for the leader. Twenty-two representatives gave speeches that day on behalf of the delegations they headed. All at the palace felt happy, hopeful and relieved when Dr. Samir Geagea arrived in the afternoon. He headed directly inside to meet with General Aoun for few minutes, after which Aoun, Chamoun and Geagea came out to the palace balcony in unity holding each other's hands. The thousands of people who were waiting impatiently outside in the Palace Square cheered with happiness when the three leaders emerged together. They welcomed them delightedly with screams of joy and chants for free Lebanon, unity and coordination. Aoun delivered a speech and then went inside with Geagea, Chammoun and other dignitaries and officials, where a lengthy meeting took place and lasted till almost midnight. I was in General Aoun bodyguard's office when Dr. Samir Geagea left Aoun's office and walked quickly, heading to his car without giving any statement. I went immediately to where Aoun, his adviser Youssef Al-Andarry and his Escort Colonel Habib Faris were engaged in a heated conversation. I approached Al-Andary, who looked at me with anger and said: Look what the General has done. What did he do, I asked? Colonel Habib said: He agreed to give Dr. Geagea the Defense, Foreign Affairs, Finance and Interior Ministries. I was taken by surprise and stared at the General, who smiled and said, let's go inside and continue our conversation. We all walked to the basement where Aoun and his family have been residing lately and there we continued the conversation. Aoun said: Dr. Geagea has asked for the Interior Minister to avoid any future field confrontations between his forces and the Lebanese Army. He has asked for the Defense Ministry to unify the military leadership. He has asked for the Finance Ministry to be able to keep his forces on the government payroll. And he has asked for the Foreign Affairs Ministry because believes the Lebanese Embassies abroad will side with the Syrian-appointed president, Mr. Elias Hrawi, so the Lebanese Force's offices all over the world will be our embassies. I learned later on that there was a consensus in giving Dr. Geagea the Foreign Affairs Ministry, for the justifications he presented, but there was a negative reaction to his request to have the other three ministries, except from General Aoun. Aoun said: I am ready to give the Lebanese Forces more ministries than Dr. Geagea has requested in a bid to keep our national decision free over the regions that we control. He added: Do not be surprised if I ask you now to pray to Almighty God that the Lebanese Forces will accept participation in the government and assume responsibility for the four portfolios Dr. Geagea has requested. If they do, then we will have saved our country a big disaster. He ended by saying: But I have an gut feeling that Dr. Geagea has already been involved with a different plan and his decision is not free any more. Aoun's gut feelings were right and the following day Mr. George Adwan visited the presidential palace to inform Aoun that Dr. Geagea and the Lebanese Forces had decided not participate in the proposed government. Sixty hours after the fight erupted between the Lebanese Army and the Lebanese Forces, the Army was successful in fully controlling The Ain Al-Roumay suburb. The army officer-in-charge for the attack informed General Aoun that the whole suburb had come under the control of the army. On his part, the Army Intelligence commander for the capital, Beirut, Colonal Camelle Atta, called Aoun and made him aware that a group from the Lebanese Force fighters had surrendered to the army troops and they had been held at the intelligence headquarters at the Mathaf area. I was with General Aoun at the operation room in the palace during these critical hours. He was anxious, sad and worried, in spite of the victories the army had achieved. He was preoccupied in his conversations with others, and unhappy at all that had been happening. He received the army's full victory news without any reaction of joy. The victory news was conveyed to Aoun over the phone. He then laid down the phone handset and entered into a deep contemplation. All those who were in the room kept quiet and were looking at each other, waiting for him to say something. Aoun noticed the tension and anxiety that prevailed and that was apparent on the faces. He addressed them by saying: How many times have I tried authentically to avoid this kind of war, and how many times have I hesitated in giving the order to attack Ain Al-Roumany. Every time I was close to taking an attack decision, the image of the people of Ain Al-Roumay and Fourn Al-Chobaak used to come in front of my eyes. They were demonstrating outside the presidential palace, dancing, singing and chanting for a free, independent Lebanon…wars are always dirty, I prayed that no man would be exposed to them. To be continued next week. Long Live Free Lebanon |