Lebanon's new beginning?

The election of former army chief, Emile Lahoud, as president in November marked a new chapter in Lebanese politics. He took over from Elias El-Hrawi(photo Reuters)

Most Lebanese ended this year with a lot of hope and an equal amount of anxiety. For the first time since the end of the 15-year civil war, the entire Lebanese parliament agreed on the nomination of former army chief Emile Lahoud as the country's new president. Lahoud, who won the hearts of most Lebanese by promising a new era of political and economic reforms and an iron fist against corruption, started his term by showing his strength. He refused to bow to pressure from former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri and immediately appointed veteran Lebanese politician Salim Al-Hoss as his successor.

But as Israel continues to occupy the south, suffering humiliating defeats and an increasing number of casualties due to Hizbullah fighters' brave attacks, it remains to be seen whether the new Lebanese government will be able to solve several long-standing problems that the previous government could not.

Al-Hoss promised that his government would continue the postwar construction plan, work towards the return of hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the 1975-1990 civil war and continue efforts to end Israel's occupation of south Lebanon. Both Lahoud and Al-Hoss also made it clear that a cornerstone of their policy would be continued coordination with Syria on the peace process.

As 1998 drew to a close, Israel was once again talking about withdrawing from the south. The talk was not new; the subject was brought up several times throughout the year, specifically after any successful Hizbullah attack. Reports in December showed that some 20 Israeli soldiers were killed this year and 90 others were wounded.

Israel, meanwhile, refused to end 1998 without committing yet another crime in the south. On 22 December, an Israeli shelled the house of a Lebanese family "by mistake," killing a mother and her six children. Hizbullah fighters responded by firing rounds of rockets against Israeli settlements, injuring 13 people. As the year ended, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was still debating what to do with the Israeli "Vietnam" in south Lebanon. Both Beirut and Damascus say the answer is simple: withdraw Israeli troops unconditionally from south Lebanon.

In a clear victory for the resistance movement against Israeli occupation, Lebanon opened its arms on 3 September to welcome its heroine, Suha Bishara. Bishara -- who has spent the last 10 years in solitary confinement at the Israeli-run detention centre in the south for shooting SLA commander Antoine Lahd -- said upon her return to Beirut that she would be glad of the opportunity to repeat her action. "The resistance will continue until our land is liberated," she promised.

A new chapter of relations was also opened this year between the Lebanese government and the Hizbullah resistance movement, after the government successfully completed a major swap of prisoners and bodies with Israel on 25 June.

Finally, this year also witnessed Lebanon's first mayoral and municipal elections in 35 years. The elections' outcome, with an equal number of Christian and Muslim candidates, was hailed as a victory for national coexistence and harmony, as well as for democracy.