Frances Guy

Women's Quotas (2) Progress?

Do turkeys vote for Christmas?  Do elected representatives vote for changes in the electoral law that might lead to them losing seats?  Sometimes.  The Minister of Interior did what he promised and as part of the proposed electoral reform for the forthcoming municipal elections proposed a 30% quota for women.  The Lebanese cabinet agreed a 20% quota.  Agreed!  Ok but let's look at the small print.  This should mean 20% of seats on all municipalities will be filled by women.  BUT if there are no women who stand for election then the places can be filled by men.  Ooops.  What does this mean in rural areas?  will there be pressure from the men on women not to stand?
 
Nine ambassadors accredited to Beirut are women.  WE get together now and again to compare notes.  We share our concern about this get out clause.  Our Pakistani colleague reminds us that when Pakistan introduced a 33% quota for women in both parliamentary and district elections, they made it conditional that all places reserved for women were filled by women.  If no women were available the places would remain vacant.  This ensured that women were found! 
 
I get a chance later in the day to ask the Prime Minister about it.  The Minister of Interior is present too.   He assures me (and others listening) not to worry.  Women will stand and if parties don't put up women candidates, then there will always be enough independent women to put themselves forward.   He is right.  Why should we doubt the willingness of women to seize this opportunity.   Oh independent Lebanese women prove us right!  Still why always make it difficult?  Surely the Pakistan example is worth considering...

Posted at 10:46 03 February 2010 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[0]

PEACEKEEPERS

How do you feel about blue berets?  Somehow I find them reassuring. And yet there is every reason not to.  Usually UN peacekeepers are in country because there is some unresolved conflict which politicians can't see their way round except to keep things quiet by putting in a buffer force.  That is to be welcomed.  While they keep the peace ordinary people can get on with their lives. 

But there are a few places in the world where UN forces have been around for rather a long time.  Cyprus is one, and southern Lebanon is another. I attended the handover ceremony of the command of UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) today.   Yes, its name is "interim" and yes if you look them up and you will find that they have been around since 1978.  So hardly interim then.  No but the ceremony reminded me of how things have got better in Lebanon since I came here in October 2006.   We have heard a lot about threats and counter-threats over the last few weeks.  Before we talk too much about war we should take time to remember the very positive role that UNIFIL has played over the last 3 years. 

I was present too at the last handover ceremony in December 2006.  It was carried out in a hangar near the port of Beirut.  The south was still full of cluster bombs, Hizballah were conducting a sit-in in downtown Beirut, government ministers and MPs were in hiding in fear of assassination.  The ceremony then was dignified like today’s but the difference is remarkable.  Today we are in brilliant sunshine at UN headquarters very close to the border with Israel.  The Minister of Defence is here, as well as his Spanish counterpart, and the commander of the Armed Forces.  Many local MPs and religious leaders are present too. 

Over thirty years UNIFIL has unfortunately not stopped past hostilities and the fact that 275 UN peacekeepers have died in southern Lebanon is testament to both their difficulties and their commitment.  But the addition of approx 5,000 Spanish, Italian and French soldiers since the cessation of hostilities in August 2006 has made a real difference. 

The outgoing force commander, General Claudio Graziano, takes the opportunity to remind us that these troops will not be in Lebanon forever and that it is the duty of the international community as a whole to help move Israel and Lebanon towards a more permanent ceasefire…

Posted at 15:56 28 January 2010 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[0]

TRAGEDY

The sky is clear this morning and the cranes at the Port of Beirut were lined up in a row as though in salute to the calm sea.   Yesterday was different and we all woke up to the tragic news of the Ethiopian airlines crash.   Something too fundamental about falling out of the sky.   Somehow even in this country of many tragedies used to dealing with death of all sorts, this has touched everyone.  As one friend put it, this is when you realise that Lebanon is a small country and everyone will know someone who was in the plane.  Yes, we all do.  And yes the pain of their loved ones is unbearable. 

The Lebanese Government have done a good job.   Getting the rescue operation going quickly, calling in help where needed (including a British helicopter from Cyprus – thank you for helping look for bodies in the sea off Lebanon again) and subduing unnecessary speculation.   In this country of man-made tragedies it is more difficult to believe in natural disasters.    All the more reason to squash all speculation until the facts are known.

Posted at 13:27 26 January 2010 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[6]

CONSENSUAL DEMOCRACY (IN IRAQ)

Almost 20 years ago ( a worrying thought) I was the desk officer for Iraq in the FCO in London. It was just after Kuwait had been liberated but Saddam was ruthlessly repressing the Shia and the Kurds were escaping across snow strewn mountains into Turkey.  For the next two years we spent much time considering the options for humanitarian intervention and how to support the oppressed peoples of Iraq. It was my honour and privilege to meet some of those fighting for greater democracy. And it is always heart-warming today to see the pictures of the President and Foreign Minister of Iraq and remember them in very different circumstances. Life has been hard for many in Iraq over these last 20 years, and far too many people have lost lives and livelihoods in tragic circumstances, but some things have definitely improved. 
 
Amongst those we used to meet in London and elsewhere were the representatives of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). They were gentle religious men who were concerned about the increasing violence in Iraq. Today the current leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (SCIRI's successor organisation), Amar el Hakim is in Lebanon.  He has seen all the religious and political leaders and publicly talked about the importance of reconciliation with all religious factions. I am honoured to be included in a meeting at the Iraqi Embassy with him.  For one hour he answers questions mostly about Iraq's democracy and the forthcoming elections. Yes.A religious Arab leader pontificating about the value of the democratic process and the need for inclusion and credible candidates. It was a joy to behold. I will take all the flak I have to about neo-colonialism to participate in other such discussions.
 
The debate is now on: can Lebanon learn from the Iraq model of democracy, of proportional representation, guaranteed quotas for minorities and women and open parties?  and/or can Iraq learn from Lebanon's so-called consensual democracy? 
 
Amar el Hakim spends time suggesting that in multi-confessional societies first past the post majority take all systems don't work because you can't afford to exclude more than 40% of the population, especially when they represent clear religious groups.  The problem for me, at least, is how to balance this genuine need for representation and consensus on the fundamentals with an essentially competitive system which ensures accountability to the population?  more anon...

Posted at 11:21 22 January 2010 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[0]

Quotas for Women

Friday 15 January.    I attend a presentation on the findings of a study about the participation of women in the Lebanese parliamentary elections of June 2009.  The Minister of Interior is there as well as hundreds of women activists and a handful of (mostly male) MPs.  As the Minister puts it having only 12 female candidates out of a total of over 700 is quite simply a disgrace.  There are many reasons for it: access to finance, problems of confessional politics ( for which read feudal patriarchal system), basic attitudes to women etc.. But there are few excuses.  There are excellent, well-qualified and keen Lebanese women in all walks of life, many judges, many lawyers, many businesswomen, 2 Cabinet Ministers, but only 4 out of 128 elected MPs i.e. 2 fewer than in the last elections in 2005. 

The conclusion that the Minister comes to is that the only way forward is to introduce a quota.  He pledges to present a proposal to Cabinet next week that 30% of seats in the municipal elections in May are reserved for women. He gets a whole hearted round of applause.  The Minister is courageous.  Quotas have helped women in many different countries from Pakistan to Norway.

 And me as a British diplomat, can I support a quota? It is an interesting dilemma. Technically the British government supports the implementation of all human rights conventions including that of the Convention to End Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to which Lebanon is a signatory.  But quotas?  I stick to the positive examples.   By introducing a concept of twinning constituencies the Labour party greatly increased the number of female candidates in 1997 and thus the number of women MPs in parliament.  Nearly all major parties in the UK are committed to increasing the number of female candidates.  Practical efforts to change working practices in the Scottish parliament have led to a significant increase in women's representation. 

If quotas are right for Lebanon and the cabinet agrees, then we should support it.  I wish the Minister well.  Only by pushing the edges of the possible can change inch forward.

Posted at 16:54 15 January 2010 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[2]

Have you pledged to uphold democracy?

As an Ambassador you occasionally get to do things that make you proud of your country.  On Friday I participated in a citizenship ceremony.  We don't do too many of these in Beirut so we like to make a bit of a fuss; flowers, flags, photos for the family.  How many British passport holders really give much thought about what it means to be British?  What do you think you have to do when you get a British passport? Swear allegiance to the monarch? Yes, of course.  But what else?  Did you know that you pledge to uphold democratic values?  I like that bit.  Ok we don't define what that means, but let's keep the definition broad and let's remember that it is every citizen's duty to uphold those democratic values. If we remembered this now and again perhaps we can better defend the fundamental freedoms that we cherish.

The theme is accentuated for me later in the day. I go to a lecture given by former Prime Minister Selim Hoss.  Whatever your political complexion in Lebanon you are likely to respect PM Hoss as one of the few non-corrupt politicians in Lebanon.  He has on his wall at home a saying which translates something like:  a public servant is strong until he asks for a favour for himself. It is always a pleasure to listen to Mr Hoss.  He doesn't disappoint the packed gathering.  He gives us a 30 minute summary of his experience in government in Lebanon. He concludes that Lebanon appears to be a democracy but in reality it enjoys many freedoms but little democracy.  Lebanese have freedom to express themselves, freedom to think, freedom of movement, freedom to work and freedom to demonstrate.  But without the rule of law and its imposition, Lebanon cannot be a democracy. 

I think we can rightly continue to be demanding.  Lebanon has gone through many traumas but 20 years ought to be enough time to reconstitute the state and begin the imposition of the rule of law. With a Minister of Justice committed to root out corruption in the judiciary, this national unity government is well placed to start.

Posted at 09:07 13 January 2010 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[4]

Honours List

Honours List
 
It is that time of year. Those who have heard me speak about the subject know that I am a fan of former Prime Minister John Major's aims to ensure that Honours are given to those who truly deserve it and to ensure that unsung heroes are as equally deserving as top majors. In my time in Beirut it has been my great privilege to convey an Honorary MBE to one of the members of my staff, Paul Khawaja, for services to British export. And I have been pleased to see the award of two other MBEs for services to the British community during the 2006 evacuation. 
 
In this year's New Year's honors list, the strength of Lebanese/British relations is recognised in the award to Dr Claude Serhal for services to archaeology. For me Claude is a living symbol of the strength of British/Lebanese relations and the devotion of expat Lebanese for their home country. This award is a just recognition of that dedication. Reading the announcement, it doesn't say much "Dr Claude Doumet Serhal for services to archaeology". Let's elaborate... for 15 years of services to British Lebanese archaeology...for keeping the excavation at Sidon alive, for helping demonstrate to the people of Sidon and Lebanon (and the UK) the extraordinary history of this eastern edge of the Mediterranean. 

Anyone who has met Claude, especially if you have gone to the dig in Sidon one summer in the heat and the dust and walked around the layers from the Bronze Age on, will know that her enthusiasm and her dedication have kept this site going and helped lead us all to understand better our forefathers. I am pleased that the British Embassy played its own part in awareness raising about this project more than a year ago, helping Claude and her team show a film about their work and raise funds to continue the excavation. 

The good news is that there is money now to build an onsite museum and with Claude's help and that of the British Museum as well as the people of Sidon, this future museum will  make the history of the Mediterranean accessible to visitors. And it will continue the transformation of historic Sidon. If you have never visited.  Do. There is a wonderful day trip to do taking in the two crusader castles, the old souks, the soap museum and the archaeological site for which Claude has been justly recognised. 

Posted at 09:37 07 January 2010 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[2]

Christmas in the Levant

Christmas in the Levant is both more religious and more serious than at home somehow.  Maybe one day I will even manage to get to Bethlehem.  Not because I am especially religious but because if we are this close it seems the right thing to do.  As often over the years, I content myself with listening to the services from Bethlehem on the BBC World Service in Arabic on the radio. Good that this year's service goes past peacefully with a decent number of pilgrims.  But I am struck by the statistics quoted by the reporter:  30 years ago more than 30% of Palestinians living in the West Bank were Christian, today that figure is less than 2%.

I mention this to a Lebanese friend - comfortably off, Christian, professional.   He admits that he is not surprised - even if the idea of Bethlehem without indigenous Christians is shocking. He too is actively searching another future for himself and his family far from the Middle East.  He thinks the region is doomed to instability and conflict and that it will stay unstable for the rest of his lifetime and that of his family.  They would simply be better off psychologically and physically (not necessarily economically) if they were elsewhere.  It makes sense to try to leave for him and thousands like him. 

Christmas in Beirut is bustling and the traffic is horrendous, which means that there are lots of visitors.  But surely Beirut deserves to be more than just the favourite holiday destination for its émigrés?  Can we (all of us) yet break the cycle of war and extremism?  Peace be upon you.  2010 years after the birth of Christ, we continue to fail to live up to that message of peace.

Posted at 11:01 30 December 2009 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[3]

Missing persons

At the end of November Wassim Henoud wrote an open letter to me which was published in the daily French language newspaper "L’Orient le Jour" on  December 2nd, 2009.  In the letter Wassim praised the British police for following up the tragic death of Alec Collett a British journalist working for the UN who was kidnapped and murdered in 1985 during the Lebanese civil war.
This November a team from the Metropolitan Police were able to locate his temporary burial place and confirm and identify his remains.  His family will finally be able to lay his soul in peace.  I too was proud of the work of the Metropolitan police. But Wassim's request was to ask for UK help to find and identify all the hundreds of missing Lebanese, also missing for more than 20 years. 

I spoke to Wassim this week.  He eloquently describes the tragedy of a mother sitting outside her house in Mount Lebanon day in, day out, come rain or shine, waiting for her son to come home.  It is hard not to be moved.  At a human level it would be good to help.  But at a political level this is very tricky territory.  I need only think of the trauma caused recently in Spain when some people tried to uncover the graves of some of those killed during the Spanish Civil War more than 70 years ago.  Memories in Lebanon are much more recent. 
Families deserve to be able to bury their dead but the nation needs to be ready for reconciliation and healing.   More thought and reflection is needed.  More positively Wassim's open letter demonstrated the effectiveness of the media here in helping create public discourse and leading (hopefully) to policy change.

Posted at 11:17 23 December 2009 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[0]

Shipwreck

I wanted to restart my blog with something positive about the new Lebanese government and the potential for a new start in 2010 for the Lebanese in general.  Today is potentially another important landmark with Prime Minister Saad Hariri going to Damascus.

But I find that I am profoundly moved by the fate of the mariners whose ship sank off the coast of Tripoli the night before yesterday.   A ship carrying livestock from Uruguay to Tartous in Syria sank 17 km off the Lebanese coast line during the storms of 17 December.  Of the 83 men on board, 35 remain unaccounted for and so far only about 40 have survived.   The Vice Consul spent all day yesterday in Tripoli visiting hospitals, talking to the survivors and eventually waiting for some of the dead to be brought ashore.  There were two British sailors on board.  As I write one of them has been identified, the other we are still waiting for news.   Such work reminds us why we are in the diplomatic “service’.

The British feel strongly about sailors. They helped make our country what it is.  The Lebanese in their own way too.  Perhaps they don’t think of the dangers of the sea as much as fishing communities around the coast of Scotland, but the prowess of Lebanon was built in ancient times on the exploits of the Phoenicians..  sailors par excellence. 

Once again the Lebanese Red Cross have been magnificent;  caring for the survivors, helping with the dead.  All on a voluntary basis.  Once again I can’t help thinking that the Lebanese Red Cross represents all that is positive about Lebanon. Without them this war torn country could not keep rebuilding – rebuilding lives and hope once again.
We decided to use some of the funds from the Embassy Christmas raffle to help the Shipwrecked Mariners Association.  It is only a small gesture but in the face of the strength of the elements it is something

Posted at 07:26 22 December 2009 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[0]

Diplomats' holidays

Not quite busmen's holidays. In fact I reckon diplomats largely do what others have the privilege of being able to do most of the year.. visit their relatives. So I am no exception. I am pleased to have the delight of 4 weeks absence to take my kids to Scotland and France to visit family and friends and forget a little the political trauma of Lebanon. I hope to return refreshed and invigorated.. the winds from the Atlantic will help. I will not immediately return to blogging though. I think you probably need a break from me and a chance to explore others' thoughts and activities. If Lebanon hits the headlines again, I might be back. Meanwhile pray that calm continues and the Lebanese government gets a chance to take some real decisions that might improve people's daily lives.

Posted at 09:44 07 August 2008 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[9]

Summer Festivals (3) Bizarre - A Mexican diva at Baalbeck

Baalbeck, the heart of the Beka'a, Lebanon's contrasts exposed. The Baalbeck festival opens to an international audience in the temple of Bacchus. The President is there with a number of cabinet ministers but it is the poster of Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hizballah that adorns the Roman entrance. Outside the Presidential guard vie for muscularity with the slightly shady looking types on motorbikes with walkie talkies. And yet it doesn't matter, you can't beat the scene. The Romans made their temples to provoke awe, to humble man before the Gods, even in a ruined state at dusk they are a marvel. The backdrop is there for any decent artist, and the temples are warm, Bacchus after all had a fun side, and even Baal would have approved of the idea of his temple being used for international culture. Astrid, a Mexican diva, of Lebanese parents, warms the audience with her baroque style, making us laugh at the globalisation of chauvinism, the Mexican relationship with Bush's America and her amazing costumes. Some of the high brow suggest the show is not appropriate for the opening of the festival. I think it is spot on, popular but not bawdy, fun, accomplished and international and the critics can say what they like but the two Ministers next to me enjoyed themselves thoroughly as did the rest of the audience, the President and his wife included. Viva Mexica, Viva Libano indeed.... and the guys on the motorbikes outside? I don't know but I rather wished Mika had come here too or maybe some other popular star - I'd like to see the guys outside, inside dancing in the aisles with the rest of them! for more on the Baalbeck festival check out www.baalbeck.org.lb

Posted at 10:43 04 August 2008 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[1]

Army Day 1 August

Diplomats also get invited to parades. Luckily in Lebanon we don't have too many of these. Indeed this is the first army day for 3 years because of recent summer strife. So we get to celebrate the graduation of two years of officers. The army give the graduation class special names. 2007 is the class of the national will (the year of the fight against terrorists in Nahr el Bared) and 2008 is the class of Francois el Haj (the senior officer assassinated last December - he ought to have been the new Commander in Chief). There are families of the dead in the crowd as well as proud families of the young officers. The poor soldiers have to stand nearly 3 hours in the hot sun. The diplomats sitting in the stand in the shade are hot enough but we can't complain. The President makes another of his well judged speeches and clearly enjoys himself, remembering his own graduation in 1979. But this is not a military parade as such. There is no fly past apart from a few helicopters (the Lebanese Army has no planes -how can we talk about strengthening this national institution when they have no equipment - literally)and there are no tanks or other hardware on show. At the end they let off red, green and white balloons. If this wasn't a country of strife it would be touching, but the army needs more than balloons.

Posted at 09:17 04 August 2008 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[1]

The Cocktail circuit

Ferrero-Rocher did diplomats no favours with their adverts. Even my own kids think it funny.  But the round of national days is surprisingly productive.  Each one has their own range of invited guests - those at the Egyptian national day are slightly different from the Moroccan etc.   At each you can meet new people, open new horizons and reinforce relationships with those you haven't had time to call on but with whom 5 minutes at a reception is time well spent. Others get a chance to vent their anger at British policy without having to cause offence by doing it in your office! It is work, despite the adverts - and no there is not always champagne and chocolates to make it easier to work the room.  Usually I come away from such events with at least two follow up meetings, sometimes some ideas for new projects or visits and some new ideas about the political situation.  Last night all the politicians and those close to politicians were predicting that the long-awaited ministerial statement would finally be agreed.  That made for positive encounters even amongst those on different sides of the political spectrum. This morning it seems that optimism was ill-placed which is perturbing.  Moral of the story: beware of what you hear at cocktail parties !!

Posted at 07:23 31 July 2008 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[1]

27 July Summer festivals (2) Mika takes Beirut

If  you have teenage kids like me you will have heard of Mika. What many of us parents didn't realise until this week was that he was born in Beirut and now lives in the UK.  He opened the Baalbeck festival from the heart of downtown Beirut on Sunday night with a razzmatazz pop show which filled the city.  I had the privilege of watching it all from a nearby rooftop and my daughter was left to bop down below without interfering parents.  This place in the heart of Beirut has been the scene of mass demonstrations of all sorts, but many associated with tragedy.   Tonight it was filled with singing, laughter and teenage screams.  It was fun and showed what Beirut can be...  And it was great that Baalbeck and Beit ed Din decided to put on a show for a teenage audience.  But I can't help thinking that he should also be performing in Sports City at the other end of town... will the country ever be united in its joy as well as its tragedy?

Posted at 16:02 28 July 2008 by Frances Guy  |  Comments[0]