Dotting the I’S & Crossing the T’S
Between Omar Karami & the Prophet Yusuf Bin Yaqoub
Written by Nasser Kandil,
My first meeting with the late President Omar Karami was in 1988, approximately like these days, when I visited him and the late President Suleiman Franjieh in Zgharta carrying a message from the President Nabih Berri, who was a minister at that time, about a consultation of how to deal with the presidential elections, which will held during months at the end of the mandate of the President Amin Gemayel. I have met the humble man in Mansouri mosque which he used to pray in it after a fishing trip on a sunny day in January. After I had returned back at eleven o’clock in the morning; the time of his arrival to home as his family told me at 9 o’clock, and invited me to have a breakfast with them till he comes back, so I preferred to go to Zgharta, where I met the President Suleiman Franjieh, I returned lately asking for a new appointment with the man who I meant to meet across Damascus via Homs in order to deliver an important message, to discuss with him about, and to inform its consequences to the Minister Nabih Berri who was discussing with his ally the Minister Walid Jumblatt in the unstable government which is led by the President Salim Al-Hoss; the successor of the late President Rachid Karami in the last days of the reign of the President Amin Gemayel.
In Zgharta, the late President Suleiman Franjieh has welcomed me and invited me with his wonderful wife Iris Franjieh and his son Robert to have lunch with them, while the young Suleiman Franjieh was preparing himself for the leadership accompanied with his arms’ comrades in training. There were previous similar meetings with the late President Franjieh and the president the martyr Rachid Karami in the years 1983 and 1984 to cooperate in an attitude towards the seventeenth of May Agreement, then to discuss of what has happened before the uprising of sixth of February and what came after, and what has occurred before the two conferences of Genève and Lausanne of the national dialogue. Whenever the President Frajieh saw me he started asking me what are the ideas of ( Kashkoul) ? It is a tale in the book of Baha Al-Din Al Amili about his trips and thoughts, which the President Nabih Berri was amusing his interlocutors with some of it, I started narrating and explaining with the greetings of the President Berri to the Franjieh, who show his love and appreciation for his acumen, nationalism and Arabism. These are the characteristics which summarize the manhood of him, it was suggested to name the President Suleiman Franjieh for presidency, and holding a national conference in Beirut headed by Franjieh, as a preparation for a decisive battle about the identity of Lebanon and its Arabism, a battle that started politically but it has to be resolved militarily. The President Franjieh was not interacted with the personal point of view of the idea, except what is dedicated by the responsibility of leading a stage that should end with resolving Lebanon’s Arab identity for the last time without equivocation. He told me about his preparation to go to Beirut, when the President Nabih sees it useful.
I returned to Tripoli happily of the success with the President the leader Suleiman Franjieh, and my eagerness to be introduced to the leader Omar Karami. At the beginning I was able to know about the President Rchid Karami in meetings where the jest accompanied with the political depth and the seriousness accompanied with strictness. When I arrived at Karami’s fmily, I have been notified that the President Omar Karami was waiting for me in the mosque, I went there but he had a nap after the praying, he thought that I would have lunch with him, I apologized because I have to return to Damascus to have the honor of having lunch with the President Suleiman Franjieh. His smart looks, the accuracy of his stare, and the reassurance of his question about who has sent me, all of these have attracted my attention, he asked me about the President Berri, and what is the news, after a quick response, he said we are here in the North agree with Frajieh Family like the two Hamid, Suleiman, Al Rachid, and the rest is details. The security is under the control of our Syrian brothers and the politics is with you, I explained the idea and continued in presenting the attitude of the President Franjieh which the President Omar Karami was interested to know, after I had finished, he summarized the saying; Arabism’s decision is in Damascus, it is our confidence, the nationalism is entrusted by the brother Nabih, while according to presidency we agree with the what Franjieh family sees as long as they agree on one decision, then we are ready.
When I returned to Damascus, and the days have passed, the meetings have been repeated with the President Omar Karami, but the most important and closer was after approximately twenty years, in the year 2005 and afterwards, these meetings have many things to be said about, but with the departure of the President Omar Karami, I recall many unique features of this man, the fighter against his enemies, the knight in front of his opponents, the gentle and the friend with his allies, even when they have a thousand apprehensions about him, he even reminds me of the tale of the prophet Yusuf and his brothers, when they threw him in the well, and told their father Yaqoub that the wolf has eaten their brother, but when he had the authority to avenge, he forgot and sublimated in both times, he knew that they threw him in the well and in both times, he forgot and sublimated, since the luck was with him, so he has got older with his people not against them, from the uprising of the tires in 1992, when the regional international game has made the President Rafik Al-Hariri heading the government, to the uprising of Al Najmeh square in 2005, when the same luck was with the President Najib Mikati. In both times Omar Karami has been thrown in the well alone by his brothers, but that was in vain, because Yaqoub for him is the home, it was just enough to throw on him his shirt in order to see, but the sight of the prophet Yaqoub has abandoned him repeatedly, it was enough as well that everyone knows that the wife of the noble of Egypt, the authority, and the money have wanted him, but his strength, chivalry, and generosity have not weakened, since his shirt has been torn from the back, she lied while he was faithful. In each time when there was a drought in the season of goodness of his people, they asked for his wheat, he gave them and bear the responsibility.
Omar Karmi has departed, but he did not abandon of the Arabism which was in his veins, neither had he betrayed, nor did he humble his nationalism which remained according to him greater than the sects and doctrines. It is the school of dignity in politics in a time where the men are few. May God protect the President Salim Al-Hoss, and bless Faisal the son of Omar Karami.
Translated by Lina Shehadeh,
2015-01-04 | عدد القراءات 1680
