In September 2004, the United States and France managed to legalise their interference in Lebanon's internal affairs by internationalising its issue through the UN Security Council resolution No 1559.
The UN resolution which called for disarming Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, was passed with full support from the US and France, under the label of defending Lebanon and preserving its sovereignty and independence.
The resolution demanded disarming all militias and allowing the Lebanese army to spread its control over all the Lebanese territories.
Although it was said that the resolution aimed to end the Syrian presence in Lebanon, the key objective was to disarm the Lebanese resistance and Palestinian groups in preparation for placing Lebanon under the US custodianship.
Designs
The US wants a Lebanon that suits its interests and those of Israel, and further that serves its designs in the region.
Following the resolution, Syrian forces and intelligence services withdrew from Lebanon while the arms of the Lebanese resistance still exist.
The withdrawal of Syrian troops did not bring about any change that places Lebanon on the map of countries that serve the interests of the US and Israel.
This has prompted the planners to carry out the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri and hold Syria responsible for the crime to place Lebanon on the brink of a civil war.
All the events that took place in Lebanon after Hariri's assassination, including the July war launched by Israel with US backing, and the fighting between the Lebanese Army and Fatah Al Islam militants in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr Al Bared, were carried out to explode the situation and make Lebanon succumb to the US- Israeli will.
Nevertheless, The US, France and Israel have not achieved the required goals behind their dubious designs. So, the US and Israel have no other choice except to spark another war to correct the mistakes of the July war and make up for its losses.
The war is expected this summer and the issuance of UN resolution No 1575 under the seventh chapter was to provide an international umbrella for this potential war against Lebanon and Syria.
The war may be launched with international participation under the pretext of the implementation of international legitimacy.
It is ridiculous that the 14th of March team considered the UN resolution that calls for setting up an international court a victory.
The pro-government team celebrated the resolution as a second victory in the battle of Lebanon's independence as they considered UN resolution No. 1559 the first victory.
Hurts
What hurts most is that the UN resolution was issued at a request from the Lebanese government following Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's letter to the UN Security Council demanding this resolution be under the seventh chapter of the UN Charter.
Second, the pro-government team does not understand the consequences of the resolution, which places Lebanon under the international custodianship nominally, and the US custodianship actually.
Despite this obvious fact, this team continues to claim that it defends Lebanon's independence and sovereignty. What a joke!
The situation in Lebanon makes one recalls a similar scenario - the Balfour Declaration on November 2, 1917, which promised Jews a homeland in Palestine.
Following the declaration, the British government found itself committed to create appropriate conditions and find the proper mechanism to put the declaration into effect.
The British government put Palestine under its mandate and custodianship following the Franco-Anglo alliance to divide the legacy of the Ottoman Empire after the end of the Second World War. By placing Palestine under its mandate, the British government sought to fulfil its commitments towards the Zionist movement.
History repeats itself now. Lebanon is now under US custodianship after the issuance of the UN resolution under the seventh chapter. Therefore, remarks made by the pro-government party, which reacted with joy at the resolution, came as no surprise.
Those who called for internationalising the investigation into Hariri's murder and demanded a UN resolution under the seventh chapter, have placed Lebanon, its government, people, present and future under the US custodianship.
Awni Sadeq is a prominent Palestinian journalist based in Amman.
