Christian Maronite east Beirut residents stage rally in front of French embassy to support General Michel Aoun’s refusal to accept Taif agreement. AFP
Christian Maronite east Beirut residents stage rally in front of French embassy to support General Michel Aoun’s refusal to accept Taif agreement. AFP

1989 - The Taif peace pact for Lebanon

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Updated 19 April 2025
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1989 - The Taif peace pact for Lebanon

1989 - The Taif peace pact for Lebanon
  • Saudi Arabia’s determination helped end the Lebanese Civil War

PARIS: The Taif Agreement was the outcome of a concerted attempt by Saudi Arabia to bring an end to the Lebanese Civil War that began in 1975. 

Other parties involved in the process included Syria’s President Hafez Assad, the US administration, and the various Lebanese factions fighting in the war. Saudi authorities wanted to find a solution that involved all of those involved, to halt the war and improve upon the 1943 Lebanese National Pact. 

That pact was an unwritten agreement between Lebanese President Bechara El-Khoury and Prime Minister Riad Al-Solh that established an independent Lebanon as a multi-confessional state. It represented a power-sharing arrangement between Christians and Muslims, whereby the president was always required to be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the parliament a Shiite. 

The powers handed down in this way were of particular benefit to Lebanon’s Christians. The civil war required an adjustment to this equilibrium. It also required an adjustment in Lebanon’s relations with the Arab world, during a period in which Assad was growing more powerful with the aim of becoming more influential and hegemonic in Lebanon. 

How we wrote it




Arab News covered the day Lebanese MPs agreed on the national reconciliation charter in Taif, Saudi Arabia to end the civil war.

Beginning in the late 1970s, Saudi Arabia had been a part of all Arab and international efforts to end the war in Lebanon. The Taif Agreement was fathered by Hussein El-Husseini, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament. He visited Saudi Arabia, where he was hosted in Taif under the guidance of the Foreign Minister, Prince Saud bin Faisal, and a Lebanese friend of the Kingdom, a businessman named Rafik Hariri who would later serve as Lebanon’s prime minister from 1992 to 1998 and 2000 to 2004. 

The deal ultimately reached included political reforms that gave full power to the Council of Ministers and greater power to the Muslim prime minister, compared with the previous arrangement whereby power was concentrated in the office of the Christian president. It also established special relations between Lebanon and Syria, and a framework to begin the withdrawal of Syrian forces from the country. 

However, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Sharaa later denied any commitment had been made to Prince Saud for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. It was only after the assassination of Hariri in 2005 that Syrian forces finally pulled out. 

The Taif Agreement was approved by the Lebanese Parliament on Nov. 5, 1989, the same day Rene Moawad became the country’s president. He held the office for only 18 days before he was killed by a car bomb that claimed his life and 23 others. 

Prior to the Taif Agreement, Saudi Arabia had pushed for peace conferences in Geneva and Lausanne, in 1983 and 1984 respectively, that failed to end the war. However, Saudi authorities continued to mediate, with the involvement of the Arab League Tripartite Committee to Lebanon, under the chairmanship of Prince Saud. 

Key Dates

  • 1

    Fighting between Maronites and Muslims in Lebanon begins when suspected PLO gunmen attack a Christian church in East Beirut, killing 4 people. Phalangists retaliate, killing 30 Palestinians on a bus, triggering widespread fighting.

    Timeline Image April 13, 1975

  • 2

    Arab League summit in Riyadh calls for end to the civil war and creates the peacekeeping Arab Deterrent Force.

  • 3

    Start of the Hundred Days War in Beirut between Christian militias and the mainly Syrian troops of the Arab Deterrent Force.

    Timeline Image Feb. 7, 1978

  • 4

    Israel invades southern Lebanon to halt cross-border attacks by the PLO.

  • 5

    Christian Phalangist Bachir Gemayel, former leader of Lebanese Forces Maronite militia, is elected president.

    Timeline Image Aug. 23, 1982

  • 6

    Gemayel and 26 other high-ranking Phalangists are killed by a bomb planted by a Maronite Christian.

    Timeline Image Sept. 14, 1982

  • 7

    Departing president Amine Gemayal defies precedent and appoints a fellow Maronite Christian, Gen. Michel Aoun, as prime minister, a role traditionally reserved for a Muslim.

    Timeline Image Sept. 22, 1988

  • 8

    Aoun declares war of liberation against Syrian occupation.

    Timeline Image March 14, 1989

  • 9

    Taif Agreement is reached but opposed by Aoun.

  • 10

    Taif Agreement ratified and parliament elects Maronite Christian Rene Moawad as Lebanon’s 13th president.

    Timeline Image Nov. 5, 1989

  • 11

    Moawad assassinated by unknown assailants.

    Timeline Image Nov. 22, 1989

  • 12

    Aoun driven into exile in France by Syrian forces.

  • 13

    Aoun returns to Lebanon after Syrian troops finally withdraw.

  • 14

    Aoun elected president of Lebanon, remains in office until his term ends in 2022.

    Timeline Image Oct. 31, 2016

The representatives on the committee from the other members of the tripartite, Morocco and Algeria, were their foreign ministers, Abdellatif Filali and Sid Ahmed Ghozali respectively. They were joined by the Arab League’s special envoy to Lebanon, Lakhdar Brahimi. Syria’s President Assad, excluded from the committee, was enraged. 

During the last meeting of the committee, in Rabat in 1988, before the Taif process began, the three ministers summoned Al-Sharaa, the Syrian foreign minister, and told him they had proof Syria had been arming both Prime Minister Michel Aoun’s army and the Lebanese Forces, led by Samir Geagea.  

Aoun had been appointed interim prime minister that year by departing president Amine Gemayel, who did not accept Assad’s diktats. 

Assad’s forces responded by pounding the Christian stronghold of Achrafieh. Aoun, protected by French Ambassador Rene Ala, then left for France to begin his long exile.  

Brahimi, the Arab League envoy, enlisted Paris-based Dr. Ghassan Salame, a Lebanese professor of international relations, as an advisor to help establish a ceasefire agreement and prepare for a meeting with Lebanese deputies.  

Concurrently, Brahimi, Salame, and other deputies worked on drafting a text for the deputies to approve and adopt. 

The first report from the committee, issued in mid-July 1989, was perceived by the Syrians as hostile. Assad met Algeria’s President Chadli Bendjedid in Algiers and accused Brahimi of anti-Syrian bias. Prince Saud independently continued his attempts to persuade Syria to agree to a ceasefire. 




Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saul al-Faysal (C), Lebanese Parliament speaker Hussain al-Hussaini (R) and Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmad Ghassali (L) in Taif as discussions on national reconciliation charter began. AFP

As the various efforts to end the war continued, Saudi authorities worked through two negotiators: Hariri and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who between 1983 and 2005 was the Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States. This marked the start of Hariri’s involvement in Lebanese politics. 

King Fahd entrusted Prince Bandar to direct the efforts to find a solution for the situation in Lebanon, and Hariri shuttled between various capital cities to organize a conference in the Kingdom to discuss reforms and the election of a president. 

International pressure, and the continuing efforts of Prince Saud, eventually compelled Syria to accept a ceasefire agreement, paving the way for the drafting of the text for the Taif Agreement by several deputies.  

Hariri managed to persuade the Lebanese deputies to come to the gathering in Taif. They agreed to correct the balance of power in Lebanon, giving more influence to the Council of Ministers and the Muslim prime minister. 

However, Assad disliked Hariri and resisted his appointment as Lebanon’s prime minister for years. Eventually, Assad met Hariri on several occasions, though when Hariri did eventually become prime minister, Assad insisted on having a say in the appointment of certain government ministers. 

Saudi Arabia took the initiative and helped to get the Lebanese Parliament operational, since previous negotiations with militias had failed to achieve peace. Eventually, the Taif Agreement was concluded and implemented but Aoun never accepted its terms. Following the assassination of President Moawad after just 18 days in office, as he returned from Lebanese Independence Day celebrations, Deputy Elias Hrawi, who was favored by the Syrians, was appointed his successor. 

One unforgettable sentence uttered by a brilliant French diplomat, having served in Lebanon, still rings true in view of the disastrous situation that has prevailed there for the past several years: “The political class who made the civil war in Lebanon is still in power, but it cannot succeed in ruling the country.” 

  • Randa Takieddine is a Paris-based Lebanese journalist. She covered the last committee meeting in Rabat before Taif in 1988 for Al-Hayat and headed the newspaper’s bureau in France for 30 years. 


KSA showcases digital progress at Osaka expo 

KSA showcases digital progress at Osaka expo 
Updated 10 min 11 sec ago
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KSA showcases digital progress at Osaka expo 

KSA showcases digital progress at Osaka expo 

RIYADH: The Saudi Data and AI Authority revealed the Kingdom’s progress in digital transformation and smart city development during its participation in Saudi events at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.

The authority outlined national efforts to adopt data and artificial intelligence technologies to improve service efficiency and support sustainable development, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Mishari Almishari, deputy director of the authority’s National Information Center, said that Saudi Arabia was steadily moving toward a more integrated digital society under Vision 2030, which identified digital transformation as a key development goal.

He noted that the authority’s establishment in 2019 marked a significant step, coordinating efforts through three main entities: the National Information Center, the National Center for Artificial Intelligence, and the National Data Management Office.

The authority plays a central role in data and AI regulation and development, according to Almishari, contributing to the Kingdom’s growing position in data and AI-based innovation.

He also highlighted support for smart city systems through projects like the National Smart C Platform, the Smart Riyadh Operations Center, and initiatives promoting innovation, such as training camps, incubators, accelerators, and national hackathons.

The authority’s participation in Expo 2025 Osaka reflects Saudi Arabia’s aim to contribute to global AI development and build a more inclusive digital future.


Omani banking sector credit surges 7.4% in February

Omani banking sector credit surges 7.4% in February
Updated 10 min 24 sec ago
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Omani banking sector credit surges 7.4% in February

Omani banking sector credit surges 7.4% in February

RIYADH: The total credit extended by Oman’s banking sector surged by 7.4 percent year on year to reach 32.9 billion Omani rials ($85.46 billion) by the end of February, new figures showed. 

Released by the Central Bank of Oman, the data indicated that credit extended to the private sector rose by 6.1 percent annually to 27.3 billion rials during the same period. 

This aligns with Oman’s projected economic growth of 3.4 percent in 2025, outpacing many global peers, according to Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion Qais bin Mohammed Al-Yousef, who spoke at the International Investment Forum in Muscat in April. 

The February report said: “Non-financial corporations received the highest share of the total private sector credit at approximately 46.3 percent at end-February 2025, followed by the household sector at 44.3 percent.” 

It added: “The share of financial corporations was 5.5 percent while other sectors received the remaining 3.8 percent of total private sector credit as at the end of February 2025.” 

The analysis further revealed that total deposits in the Omani banking sector registered a 6.4 percent year-on-year growth to reach 32 billion rials at the end of February. It added that total private sector deposits increased 8.2 percent to 21 billion rials. 

“In terms of sector-wise composition of private sector deposits, the biggest contribution is from household deposits at 50.3 percent, followed by non-financial corporations at 30.4 percent, financial corporations at 16.9 percent and other sectors at 2.4 percent,” the report concluded in that regard.

In January, the 2024 Article IV consultation issued by the International Monetary Fund disclosed that Oman achieved a 6.2 percent budget surplus and a 2.4 percent current account gain in 2024, driven by prudent fiscal policies, high oil prices, and nonhydrocarbon export growth. At the time, the IMF attributed these figures to effective economic management. 

Despite higher social spending under a new protection law, the nonhydrocarbon primary deficit as a share of nonhydrocarbon gross domestic product remained stable, highlighting the government’s commitment to financial discipline, the IMF release explained at the time. 

Government debt as a percentage of gross domestic product also declined further, reaching 35 percent in 2024, marking continued improvement in Oman’s economic fundamentals. 

The findings reflect the broader resilience across the Gulf Cooperation Council region, as highlighted in a December IMF report, which noted that GCC economies have successfully navigated recent shocks, thanks to robust non-hydrocarbon growth and continued reform efforts.


Pakistan deputy PM to visit China tomorrow to discuss ‘evolving regional situation’

Pakistan deputy PM to visit China tomorrow to discuss ‘evolving regional situation’
Updated 12 min 14 sec ago
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Pakistan deputy PM to visit China tomorrow to discuss ‘evolving regional situation’

Pakistan deputy PM to visit China tomorrow to discuss ‘evolving regional situation’
  • The development comes amid a truce between Pakistan, India after a four-day military conflict that killed around 70 people this month
  • India is as a key partner by the West as a counter-balance to China, while Pakistan shares an ‘all-weather partnership’ with Beijing

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, will be visiting China on May 19-21 to discuss “evolving regional situation in South Asia,” the Pakistani foreign office said on Sunday.

The development comes amid a ceasefire between Pakistan and India after a four-day military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors this month that saw the use of fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery against the other, leaving around 70 people, including civilians, dead on both sides of the border.

In recent years, India has been seen as an important partner by Western powers as a counter-balance to China’s rising influence, while the relationship between Pakistan and Beijing has strengthened further, particularly over the last decade, with China rolling over loans and investing in multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

During his visit, Dar will hold in-depth discussions with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the evolving situation and its “implications for peace and stability” in South Asia, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.

“The two sides will also review the entire spectrum of Pakistan-China bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest,” it said in a statement.

This month’s military conflict between India and Pakistan was triggered by an attack by gunmen on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam town, which killed 26 people on April 22. India blamed the attack on Pakistan. Islamabad denies the charge and has called for a credible, international probe into it.

Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, including two over the disputed region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety but rule it in part.

Analysts and diplomats have long feared that a conflict between the arch-foes could escalate into the use of nuclear weapons, in one of the world’s most dangerous and most populated nuclear flashpoint regions.

China, which borders both Pakistan and India, this month urged the arch-foes to exercise restraint, like the rest of the major world powers.

“The visit forms part of the ongoing high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China. It also underscores the two countries’ shared commitment to further strengthen the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.


WWF opposes move to transfer snow leopards from Pakistan to Moscow

WWF opposes move to transfer snow leopards from Pakistan to Moscow
Updated 23 min 57 sec ago
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WWF opposes move to transfer snow leopards from Pakistan to Moscow

WWF opposes move to transfer snow leopards from Pakistan to Moscow
  • WWF-Pakistan says opposed transfer of two snow leopards from Gilgit-Baltistan to Moscow Zoo in Russia 
  • Says transferring snow leopards would contradict national and international conservation commitments

ISLAMABAD: The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan this week said it strongly opposes a proposed move to transfer endangered snow leopards from northern Pakistan to Moscow in Russia, calling on the government to strengthen its rehabilitation center for the animals. 

Various studies indicate that as the snow leopard is an elusive animal, hence it is difficult to record its exact population in the distribution range across Central and South Asia. However, in 2020 WWF research indicated that fewer than 7,000 snow leopards remain globally, of which approximately 200 to 420 individuals inhabit the northern mountain ranges of Pakistan including the Gilgit-Baltistan region, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK).

In a press release issued on Saturday, WWF-Pakistan said it had written a letter to the climate change ministry saying that it opposed the proposed transfer of two snow leopards, currently at the Naltar Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Gilgit-Baltistan, to the Moscow Zoo in Russia. 

The WWF said it had stressed in the letter that transferring leopards to Russia would not only contradict national and international conservation commitments but also risk setting a “highly detrimental precedent” for the future transfer of threatened and iconic wildlife species from Pakistan. 

“WWF-Pakistan expressed its deepest concern and opposition to the move and demanded that the proposed export of snow leopards be immediately canceled,” the non-government organization said. 

“The organization also called for the reaffirmation of Pakistan’s commitment to the conservation of its iconic wildlife species and emphasized upholding the obligations under international agreements.”

 It said that the snow leopard, listed as a threatened (vulnerable) species on the IUCN Red List for threatened species (2017), receives the highest level of legal protection under Pakistan’s national and provincial wildlife legislation. 

This also extends to Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK, the statement added. 

Additionally, it said the species is included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which strictly prohibits international trade except under exceptional and non-commercial circumstances. 

“It further said there is no compelling conservation rationale for transferring these snow leopards to Russia, a country that already hosts a significantly larger wild population of the species,” WWF-Pakistan said. 

The NGO recommended that instead of exporting the animals, Pakistan should demonstrate global leadership by reinforcing its commitment to protecting its remaining wild snow leopard populations. 

“The organization also highlighted the risk that once the snow leopards are transferred, it would be difficult to monitor or ensure the well-being of these animals under Russian jurisdiction,” it added. 

Hammad Naqi Khan, director general of WWF-Pakistan, said that the approval of this transfer would undermine decades of conservation progress and significantly damage Pakistan’s standing in the global conservation community. 

“We need to uphold Pakistan’s obligations under international agreements such as CITES and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) by prioritizing the protection of vulnerable and critically endangered species within national borders,” Khan said.


Lebanon says soldier among two wounded in Israeli strike

Lebanon says soldier among two wounded in Israeli strike
Updated 46 min 22 sec ago
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Lebanon says soldier among two wounded in Israeli strike

Lebanon says soldier among two wounded in Israeli strike

BEIRUT: Lebanon said two people including a soldier were wounded in an Israeli strike Sunday in the country’s south, where the army has been deploying after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
“A soldier was moderately wounded due to the Israeli enemy targeting of a vehicle... at the Beit Yahun checkpoint” in Bint Jbeil district, an army statement said.
Beit Yahun is around eight kilometers (around five miles) from the border.
The health ministry said two people including a soldier were wounded in the strike, which it said was launched by an “Israeli enemy drone” and targeted a vehicle.
The Israeli army did not immediately comment on the reported strike.
Israel has continued to launch raids on its neighbor despite a November truce which sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah militants including two months of all-out war.
Lebanon has reported four deadly strikes this week in the south, with Israel saying it targeted Hezbollah operatives.
Under the ceasefire, the Iran-backed Hezbollah was to pull back its fighters north of Lebanon’s Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure to its south.
Israel was to withdraw all its forces from Lebanon, but it has kept troops in five areas that it deems “strategic.”
The Lebanese army has been deploying in the south as Israeli forces have withdrawn and has been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure.
The truce was based on a United Nations Security Council resolution that says Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only forces in south Lebanon, and calls for the disarmament of all non-state groups.
Last month, President Joseph Aoun said the army was deployed in more than 85 percent of the south, and that the sole obstacle to full control across the frontier area was “Israel’s occupation of five border positions.”
Also in April, Lebanon’s military said a munitions blast in the south killed three personnel, days after an explosion killed another soldier as the force was dismantling mines in a tunnel.