Interview of Mr. Issam Fares, former Deputy Prime Minister, with CNN 26/4/2005


CNN: The complete Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon may signal a new era for the region, but some are concerned that Syria will remain a key powerbroker behind the scenes. Earlier, I spoke to the former Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Issam Fares, and I began by asking him what influence Damascus will have going forward.

Mr. Fares: Syria will still have some loyalists; mainly, those they had served and helped, and made life easier for them, but I do not think that Syria will, henceforward, have a direct influence on, and involvement in Lebanon. The Lebanese now feel free, and the test of that freedom is coming soon, with the new parliamentarian elections.

CNN: You served under the premierships of both Rafik Hariri and Omar Karami, both pro-Syrian governments. How would you characterize your hopes for the relationship for Syria, going forward?

Mr. Fares: We should strive to build good relations, real strong relations, based on mutual respect, and mutual interest.

CNN: How will life change for the average Lebanese, now that the Syrian troops have left?

Mr. Fares: For the average Lebanese, the change did not take place yet. It would take place after the elections as I said in the Parliament this morning. The elections should not be hasty, and done in a hurried way. We should study new electoral laws for Lebanon, because we have gone through three elections after the Taef Accord, in 1992, in 1996 and in 2000, and each time we produced a special electoral law. We must establish a new electoral law, because this will usher the new Lebanon. We have a parliamentarian system that is in need of revising its electoral rules in order to bring forth new talents, new ideas, and not resort to imposed electoral laws like the ones we used to have.