Visitors of Anjar : during Ghazi Kanaan’s Rule
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Visiting Anjar was a prerequisite for anyone wishing to become a minister, an MP or even a president, and the house in Anjar attests best to the top secrets of the Lebanese political life, which Ghazi Kenaan buried with him the moment he committed suicide in October 2005.
Anjar and its visitors are black spots in our modern political record. The fate of the entire nation had been tied to the wishes and commands of a Syrian official, wishes that didn’t relate to the Syrian regime but proved to be personal and aimed to satisfy selfish interests. Fortunately, a new chapter began the moment the Anjar house returned to its original owners (an Armenian family) and its occupier, Rustom Ghazali, left for good.
“Anjar and its visitors are black spots in our modern political record. The fate of the entire nation had been tied to the wishes and commands of a Syrian official, wishes that didn’t relate to the Syrian regime but proved to be personal and aimed to satisfy selfish interests“
“Anjar and its visitors are black spots in our modern political record. The fate of the entire nation had been tied to the wishes and commands of a Syrian official, wishes that didn’t relate to the Syrian regime but proved to be personal and aimed to satisfy selfish interests“
We have resorted to newspaper archives to highlight the date and number of certain Anjar visits, noting that many others remained confidential or were not mentioned as they had become a monotonous routine.
“.. Lebanese politicians used to foster the custom of soliciting the approval and following the instructions of Ghazi Kenaan and Rustom Ghazali and I used to see the great majority of them up there. They gave the Syrians free rein for domination. The Syrians would demand one meter and we would give them forty.
The Syrian regime started meddling in the Lebanese affairs at all levels. They would interfere with everyone, starting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs to any corporal of the gendarmerie. Ghazi Kenaan was the absolute governor of Lebanon, and presidents Elias Hrawi and Emile Lahhoud were mere puppets to him.” (Interview with the former pro-Syrian ally, ex-minister and leader of the Arab Deterrent Force, Major General Sami Khatib- Issue No. 4269 of Al-Mustaqbal newspaper, February 28, 2012.)
“The Syrian regime started meddling in the Lebanese affairs at all levels. They would interfere with everyone, starting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs to any corporal of the gendarmerie“
Certainly, Brigadier General Sami Khatib made the above statement only after the withdrawal of the Syrians from Lebanon, for he did not have the audacity to reject their domination, which he exploited to reach higher positions in power, unlike former Prime Minister Salim Hoss who explicitly opposed the Syrian interference while they were still in the country. Salim Hoss mentioned on page 58 of his book, Of History and Truth (published by All Prints Distributors and Publishers in 2001) the experiences of governing from 1998 and 2000: “..President Hrawi assigned me to form the first government during his mandate (1989), and appointing General Emile Lahhoud as Army Commander was the government’s first accomplishment. During a visit I made to Damascus, President Hafez Assad broached indirectly the subject of whether the appointment of Major General Sami Khatib as Director General of the Internal Security Forces was possible or not, so I politely ruled out the possibility, hoping that Assad would understand my decline. At the end of the meeting, the then Syrian PM Mahmoud al-Zoubi came after me as I walked out to my car, opened the door, which I had closed and said: “It is my hope that you comply with the demand of President Assad.” I reiterated my apology and thanked him for his concern… Later, under the premiership of Rashid Solh, Major General Sami Khatib assumed the post of Minister of Interior and supervised the 1992 elections.”
Yet, this did not stop Hoss from setting foot in Anjar as well, for he mentions:
“I used to drop by Major General Ghazi Kenaan in Anjar on my way to Damascus or on my way back to Lebanon…” (Of History and Truth, 52)
“.. I and other Lebanese officials have had numerous meetings with Syria’s representatives in Lebanon, during the era of Major General Ghazi Kenaan or that of Brigadier General Rustom Ghazali, and such meetings fall within the natural frames of cooperation between the two countries. The meetings were not restricted to security officials only, but also included numerous political figures.”
“The Syrian regime started meddling in the Lebanese affairs at all levels. They would interfere with everyone, starting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs to any corporal of the gendarmerie“
Certainly, Brigadier General Sami Khatib made the above statement only after the withdrawal of the Syrians from Lebanon, for he did not have the audacity to reject their domination, which he exploited to reach higher positions in power, unlike former Prime Minister Salim Hoss who explicitly opposed the Syrian interference while they were still in the country. Salim Hoss mentioned on page 58 of his book, Of History and Truth (published by All Prints Distributors and Publishers in 2001) the experiences of governing from 1998 and 2000: “..President Hrawi assigned me to form the first government during his mandate (1989), and appointing General Emile Lahhoud as Army Commander was the government’s first accomplishment. During a visit I made to Damascus, President Hafez Assad broached indirectly the subject of whether the appointment of Major General Sami Khatib as Director General of the Internal Security Forces was possible or not, so I politely ruled out the possibility, hoping that Assad would understand my decline. At the end of the meeting, the then Syrian PM Mahmoud al-Zoubi came after me as I walked out to my car, opened the door, which I had closed and said: “It is my hope that you comply with the demand of President Assad.” I reiterated my apology and thanked him for his concern… Later, under the premiership of Rashid Solh, Major General Sami Khatib assumed the post of Minister of Interior and supervised the 1992 elections.”
Yet, this did not stop Hoss from setting foot in Anjar as well, for he mentions:
“I used to drop by Major General Ghazi Kenaan in Anjar on my way to Damascus or on my way back to Lebanon…” (Of History and Truth, 52)
“.. I and other Lebanese officials have had numerous meetings with Syria’s representatives in Lebanon, during the era of Major General Ghazi Kenaan or that of Brigadier General Rustom Ghazali, and such meetings fall within the natural frames of cooperation between the two countries. The meetings were not restricted to security officials only, but also included numerous political figures.”
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