Mostly grey

In Lebanon, colours black and white are not popular, writes Antonio Ferrari* from Beirut

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Everyone is searching for the truth, hoping to find a reason behind the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. And everyone in Beirut appears to have an answer. But the truth is not necessarily what it appears to be. As usual, especially in Lebanon, the truth seems to be neither black nor white but mostly grey; in other words vague. The only thing you can clearly see is the intense fear in the eyes of this proud people. They harbour a great fear of returning to the years of civil war.

Tuesday morning, watching the scene of the terrorist attack on Al-Hariri's motorcade, many were saying that it was an uncanny coincidence -- the Lebanese civil war in the 1970s became a hellish tragedy with the so-called "war of the big hotels" which were all utterly destroyed. By the end of the 1990s, most of the big hotels on the Corniche were rebuilt -- the Phoenicia and Le Vendome. The blast that killed Al-Hariri was a grim reminder of the madness of the civil war years. The scene was the same when former president Beshir Gemayel was assassinated in September 1982; or when president Renè Mouwad was killed in 1990, two months after his election. Or when, last October, Druze minister Marwan Hammade, right-hand man of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, escaped from certain death, in the same explosive trap. Déjˆ vu?

But this time it is too easy to name those responsible, the mastermind of the massacre. Too easy, I suppose, because Syria, of course, is the first target of many commentators and analysts. The forced re-election of President Emile Lahud, very close to Damascus; the resignation of Al-Hariri and the incoming legislative vote are all strong indicators. The Lebanese opposition, which seeks the withdrawal of the Syrian army, in fact is close to notching up, according to some polls, over 50 seats in the parliament out of 128. But is this enough to accuse Syria, especially at a time when Damascus is facing strong international pressure?

An old Lebanese friend once told me, "Beirut is the town of truth for everyone. And each one can choose the most convenient for him or for his interests." Pro- Syrian government supporters say international hands are behind the assassination, meaning that Damascus is a victim, not the mastermind of the attack. Others say the opposite. According to Jumblatt, just a week earlier he discussed with Al- Hariri the political situation in the country. Apparently, Jumblatt told his friend: "The targets will be one or the other: either you or me." Simple conversation? Something more? Who knows. The impression, being an international observer who loves Lebanon, which is still called a "no-man's land", is that in this new chapter of an old tragedy, there is something strictly connected to the past. There are people thinking that Lebanon can always be the stage upon which to perform all kinds of cheap theatre plays. What happened in Beirut was done by professionals. Many countries are afraid of the achievements of Lebanon, its ability to recover after 16 years of a bloody civil war.

Perhaps some people do not want to understand that the world has changed, that the Berlin Wall is no longer with us. Even in Syria it's important to remember that the regime is not made of granite, that there are forces working for the past, in direct opposition to others who are trying to work for the future. Having known Lebanon for almost 25 years, I am extremely confused. Here, like everywhere, the truth is not always black or white, but so often grey.

However, once again one truth remains constant: all the great leaders of this fragile country have been assassinated.

* The writer is senior Middle East correspondent for the leading Italian daily Corriere della Sera . Ferrari was posted to Lebanon during the years of civil war. He documented his sojourns in When Beirut Went Crazy, published in Italian in 2001 and translated into Arabic by An-Nahar in 2003.