Ilyas Sarkis ( Arabic. إلياس سركيس July 20 , 1924 , Shabaniyeh , Lebanon - June 27, 1985 , Paris , France ) - Lebanese statesman, President of Lebanon from September 22, 1976 to September 23, 1982 .
Ilyas Sarkis | |||||||
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لياس سركيس | |||||||
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Predecessor | Suleiman Frangier | ||||||
Successor | Amin Gemayel | ||||||
Birth | July 20, 1924 Shabaniyeh , Lebanon | ||||||
Death | June 27, 1985 (60 years) Paris , France | ||||||
Education | |||||||
Religion | Maronite christian |
Content
Young years
Ilyas Sarkis was born on July 20, 1924 , in Gorny Lebanon, in the village of Shabaniyeh, with a predominantly Armenian population [1] . Elias's father was Armenian, and his mother came from Egyptian Coptic Christians . However, in the confessional sense, the Sarkis family belonged to Maronite Christians [2] . The family was wealthy, kept its own store.
Sarkis studied at the local school in Shabaniyekha, and then at the Freres secondary school in Beirut . He began working as a railway employee during his studies at St. Joseph's University of Beirut, where he received a law degree, graduating in 1948 [3] .
Career start
After graduating from university, Sarkis worked as a lawyer for 3 years [4] . Then he became a protégé of the Lebanese army commander Fuad Shehab , who became president of Lebanon in 1958 [1] . Sarkis was appointed Master of the Accounts Chamber, and in 1953, General Director of the Presidential Chamber. In 1968 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Central Bank of Lebanon ; he remained in this position for 9 years. His appointment to this position was caused by the desire of then-President Charles El to reorganize the Lebanese banking system, which was affected by the banking crisis of 1968 [1] .
Presidency
Sarkis participated in the presidential election in Lebanon in 1970 as a protégé of Shehab and hoped to win, but lost to Suleiman Frangier , gaining the least amount by one vote [5] .
However, Sarkis was elected president 6 years later on May 8, 1976 , during the Civil War raging in the country [6] [7] [8] . His election as president is believed to have occurred under pressure from the Syrians [9] . In other words, as his opponents claim, he was a Damascus candidate and Lebanon’s coveted president for Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad [10] [11] . At the same time, Sarkis was an active and uncompromising defender of Armenian interests in Lebanon, took an extremely radical position towards Turkey [12] . As president, Ilyas Sarkis has never accepted an invitation from Turkish dignitaries to visit their country. He was a close friend of Lebanese Dashnak leader Akop Pakraduni .
His election took place at the Esseily Villa, a luxurious, “Versaillesian” decorated presidential residence in the south-east of Beirut . This circumstance was due to the fact that the building of the National Assembly was not reliably protected from terrorist attacks [13] . 66 members of the Assembly elected him president on May 8, 1976 . On the other hand, 29 members of the Assembly boycotted this meeting [13] . These 29 were partly "Palestinians" [14] , partly representatives of the left parties of Lebanon [5] . The inauguration of Sarkis is also not possible. held in the Assembly building: it took place in a hotel in the city of Shtaura (Shtaura), located 25 miles east of Beirut [5] . Sarkis was able to take up his duties only on September 23, 1976 [4] , after the ex-president Franjier left the residence [15] . Sarkis was able to appoint Selim Hossa Prime Minister only in December 1976 [16] .
The presidency of Sarkis coincided with the escalation of armed confrontation between Lebanese Christians and Muslim extremists. Moreover, the sharply increased activity of the "Palestinian" militants, who became virtually independent of Lebanon, was the cause of two massive Israeli attacks - in 1978 and 1982. [5] . Several Muslim, Nasristic, Left-wing and pro-Palestinian political parties formed the Lebanese National Movement (LND) in 1976, under the leadership of the Druze leader Kamal Jumblat. In response, nationalist and pro-government forces, led by the Phalangists of the Kataib party, created the Lebanese front . President Sarkis made a number of attempts at mediation between the conflicting parties - but they did not lead to anything. Both groups had their own, incompatible goals, and Sarkis had no real levers of influence on the situation in Lebanon. LND was too dependent on the "Palestinians" and was not able to initiate the negotiation process to end the civil war [17] . In November 1976, Sarkis wanted to include the Druze of Kamal Jumblat in the government. However, Hafez Asad did not allow him to do this, since Jumblatt was against the increasing influence of Syria in Lebanon [18] .
At the same time, Phalanist Karim Pakradouni served as adviser to President Sarkis. Their collaboration was facilitated by common origin from the Armenian community .
On March 5, 1980 , Sarkis developed his political to achieve national consensus:
- unity,
- independence,
- parliamentary democracy
- denial of the Camp David agreement between Egypt and Israel.
In June 1980, Salim Hoss resigned in protest against Sarkis’s inability to achieve peace in Lebanon. After some difficulties, Sarkis was able to appoint Shafiq Wazzan as the new Prime Minister [2] . Sarkis was on duty, but not in power! [19] .
Shortly before his term expired in 1982 , the Israel Army invaded southern Lebanon and advanced to the outskirts of Beirut . Then, Sarkis organized peacekeeping forces with the participation of the United States , Britain , France and Italy , to oust the Palestine Liberation Organization [6] . In addition, he formed a rescue committee to take action against Israel [20] . The committee members were the leader of the Shiite movement Amal Nabih Berri and Christian leader Bashir Gemayel [20] . This appointment caused tensions in the Amal movement, and therefore Hussein Mousavi left the movement in protest against Berry [20] .
During his term, Sarkis won the respect of many Lebanese, but critics accused him of indecision [6] .
Successors as president
The successor to Sarkis was Bashir Gemayel , who was elected on August 21, 1982, with seventy-seven votes. [13] However, Gemayel was killed after 21 days, not even having time to take office. Amin Gemayel , Bashir's brother, became a candidate in his stead, and Sarkis handed him the presidency on September 23, 1982 [13] .
Death
Ilyas Sarkis died on June 27, 1985 from cancer, at the age of 61, in Paris [4] [1] [5] . Later, his body was brought to Lebanon. [1] A farewell ceremony was held in Beirut on June 29, 1985 . Lebanese President Amin Gemayel and the Syrian delegation representing Syrian President Hafez al-Assad attended. Ilyas Sarkis was buried on the same day in his native village Shabaniyeh [21]
Notes
- 2 1 2 3 4 5 Former Lebanese President Elias Sarkis dies , The Associated Press , Lakeland Ladger (June 28, 1985). The appeal date is June 10, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Elias Sarkis . Wars of Lebanon. The appeal date is August 8, 2013.
- ↑ Profiles of Lebanon's presidents since independence , Lebanon Wire (May 25, 2008). Archived January 20, 2013. The appeal date is August 8, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Elias Sarkis (English) . Presidency of the Republic of Lebanon. The date of circulation is June 10, 2012. Archived April 27, 2012.
- 2 1 2 3 4 5 Ex-Lebanese Leader Sarkis Dies at 60 in Paris Hospital , Los Angeles Times (June 28, 1985). The appeal date is June 10, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Elias Sarkis, Former Lebanese President , Orlando Sentinel (June 28, 1985). The appeal date is August 8, 2013.
- ↑ David S. Sorenson. Global Security Watch — Lebanon: A Reference Handbook . - ABC-CLIO, 12 November 2009. - P. 7. - ISBN 978-0-313-36579-9 .
- ↑ Lebanon's presidency - a source of strife since 1976 , DPA , Beirut: Lebanon Wire (November 22, 2007). Archived January 20, 2013. The appeal date is August 8, 2013.
- Ud Hudson, Michael C. Trying Again: Power-Sharing in the Post-Civil War Lebanon (Eng.) // International Negotiation: journal. - 1997. - Vol. 2 - P. 103-1122 . (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Hezbollah: A History of the Party of God . - Harvard University Press, September 10, 2012. - P. 18. - ISBN 978-0-674-06752-3 .
- ↑ Kathy A. Zahler. The Assads' Syria . - Twenty-First Century Books, 1 August 2009. - P. 10. - ISBN 978-0-8225-9095-8 .
- ↑ Countries that have elected Armenian Presidents | RusArmInfo
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Middle East Issues . About.com (2007). The appeal date is June 10, 2012.
- ↑ This name, though well-established in the international lexicon, is politically incorrect. For, from the point of view of grammatical logic, all the old-timers of Palestine should be referred to as "Palestinians", regardless of nationality or denomination - and not just Palestinian Arabs!
- ↑ Elias Sarkis . Rulers.org. The appeal date is July 23, 2012.
- ↑ Eur. The Middle East and North Africa 2003 . - Europa Publications, 2003. - P. 686. - ISBN 978-1-85743-132-2 .
- ↑ Krayem, Hassan The Lebanese civil war and the Taif agreement . American University of Beirut. The appeal date is June 10, 2012.
- ↑ Nisan, Mordechai The Syrian occupation of Lebanese . ACPR. The appeal date is July 5, 2012.
- ↑ O'Ballance, Edgar. Civil War in Lebanon, 1975-92 . - Palgrave, 1998.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Harfoush, Mohammad . Hezbollah, Part 1: Origins and Challenges , Al Monitor (February 18, 2013). The appeal date is March 24, 2013.
- ↑ Sarkis, Ex-Lebanese President, Buried , Reuters , Los Angeles Times (June 30, 1985). The appeal date is June 10, 2012.