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How many precious lives should be wasted for the Lebanese to understand their country is heading towards dangerous territory? Seven people were killed in clashes between protesters and the army on Sunday in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The protesters were demonstrating against the frequent power outages. They were mostly supporters of Hezbollah. Different sources and media reports suggest that "a third party" shot at the protesters. But this should be left to the army investigation to establish. But more important is what the Lebanese leaders have learned from the tragic Sunday events.
The clashes took place in the background of a long running deadlock over the presidential elections. The presidential post has been vacant since November 23 when the term of President Emile Lahoud expired.
Two high-profile attempts to broker a deal - one by France and the other by the Arab League - failed to sway the increasingly rigid positions of the government and its opponents.
Since then, both sides agreed on the army chief, General Michel Sulaiman as a consensus candidate for the presidency. And the crisis was finally reduced to differences over the number of cabinet seats each side is claiming in the new government.
The ruling majority insists the opposition, led by Hezbollah, should only get less than a third of the seats. The opposition demands the third, to get veto power in the cabinet, which underlines the prevailing mistrust among Lebanon's ruling elite. But as the crisis goes on, more lives are being lost and the economy deteriorates, feeding cycle of poverty, a main reason behind Sunday's tragic protest.
The signs of trouble have long been there. Curiously, Lebanese parties didn't take them seriously. After the "Black Sunday" they should. And they have a new chance to reach a deal. The Arab League has renewed its mediation and its chief is coming to Beirut in a few days. This could be the last chance.
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