Turkey is currently serving as a mediator between the two countries, but an official has said that when Barack Obama is inaugurated as President of the United States, he should lead talks between the two countries.

President al-Assad has refused preconditions, which include ceasing support for Hamas and Hezbollah and cutting back ties with Iran.  However, negotiations always start from the extreme versions of demands, so many think that if a deal is close, al-Assad will agree to talk.  Barack Obama has also stated his support for talks before preconditions were met (but stated that he would ask for “preparations,” the semantic difference of which is not yet clear), so his involvement in these talks may indicate this will not be a problem.

Joshua Bark

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26-year-old Lebanese television employee Samar Jamal stated that Obama’s election affected him personally and when he heard the news over the radio, it gave him shivers. “I felt concretely what the American democracy was really about. I felt jealous. I wished we could have such a peaceful political transition in our part of the world, ” stated Jamal.

Other reports also state that Middle Easterners were overjoyed at Obama’s victory, because his father was born a Muslim, and that many sent congratulations to each other with a simple, “mabrouk”–a traditional Muslim celebratory greeting.

However, the effects of Obama’s leadership on Lebanon and US-Lebanese relations remains to be seen. ”There won’t be a lot of changes directly for Lebanon. But indirectly, if Obama opens negotiations with Iran and Syria, this will give Lebanon a break and allow for a transition period,” stated Kamal Wazne of the Beirut-based Center of American Strategic Studies. But for now Lebanese citizens and political analysts alike are delighted with the new American president-elect.

Venus Vahedi

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