The New Arab publishes a multi-part testimony based on excerpts given by Farouk al-Sharaa, Bashar al-Assad's foreign minister and then vice president, reflecting on various pivotal events that took place in Syria and the region during his tenure. Click here for the rest of the series.
In a supplement to his book, Memoirs of Farouk al-Sharaa ... : 2000–2015, published by the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies, Sharaa includes the transcript of the final meeting between deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Rafic Hariri in 2004 in Damascus. The meeting mainly revolved around Assad's desire to extend Emile Lahoud's term as President of Lebanon, which Hariri opposed.
Transcript of the final meeting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in Damascus on August 26, 2004, just months before Hariri's assassination:
President: So, you mean you didn't sleep here?
Hariri: No, I didn't. They told me yesterday. I took a holiday and meant to leave Saturday, but left on Friday and visited Prince Sultan because he'd had surgery.
President: How's he doing now?
Hariri: He's doing well now.
President: How was your meeting with the Patriarch?
Hariri: The Patriarch said what he said before. He'd given an interview earlier, which was published yesterday in An-Nahar newspaper.
President: What did he say in it?
Hariri: Pretty much the same thing. He said, "Look, we want to at least choose our own president, our own ministers," and so on. He's upset because there's talk coming from the President (Lahoud), or from people around him, not from the President himself, suggesting that the Patriarch agrees to Lahoud's extension.
President: But wasn't he positive towards Lahoud when they met in Diman?
Hariri: No.
President: Then why did he invite him?
Hariri: He didn't actually invite him — Lahoud asked to come. They were holding an event to name a forest after Patriarch Sfeir. It's a tradition they have — naming a forest after each patriarch. So they were organising it, and when Lahoud found out, he told the Patriarch he was coming. The Patriarch told him it was just a simple event, but Lahoud insisted and showed up.
President: That was in Diman?
Hariri: Yes, in Diman.
President: The forest is there, too?
Hariri: Yes, the forest is in Diman. It's a Christian area. Back when the Turks were persecuting them, they fled to a place called Qannoubine Valley — it's remote and hard to reach.
President: You know, originally, they were from Aleppo. The Maronites came from Aleppo.
Hariri: That's true. Not sure if you've heard this story, your father, God rest his soul, was once with Camille Chamoun, and he jokingly asked him: "Why do you guys always go on like that? Saint Maron was originally from our side — from Syria!" And Chamoun fired back, "Yes, and you've been meddling in our affairs ever since!"
President: No, but I meant during Chamoun's time, not back in Saint Maron's time. Chamoun made that comment at the start of the war.
Hariri: Chamoun wasn't the President of the Republic then.
President: Yes, I know — it was around 1976 or 1977 when he said that.
Hariri: Yes.
President: And back then, their relationship with us was still good.
Hariri: It was so-so.
President: Ah, so things only started going downhill after the Syrian forces entered, not before?
Hariri: Yes, after the Syrian forces came in.
President: I thought he was referring to interference in Lebanese affairs way back, like in the 1960s or even earlier.
Hariri: No, he was joking. When your father told him that Saint Maron came from our side, from Syria, Chamoun joked, "Wow, so you've been meddling in our affairs since then!"
(They laugh)
President: So what's Walid doing?
Hariri: Walid... I spoke to Abu Abdo about him — that he's been saying certain things and that he's tied up here and there. You know Walid's area is mixed, Druze and Christians, and it has a lot of complicated issues. I'd really like him to hear me out on this. His area is a mixed Christian region, and with this electoral law, the Christians have basically come back — they're a real presence again.
President: You mean in the mountain [Mount Lebanon governorate] in general, or just in Walid's district?
Hariri: In the mountain. And if the mountain stays a single district, it's a disaster. But if it gets divided into smaller electoral districts, then the Christian presence will return, like during the time of Camille and Kamal. Kamal, his father, and Camille, meaning Chamoun! The Druze are tribal.
President: You mean beyond the two main families — the Arslan and Jumblatt clans?
Hariri: Yes. At the end of the day, their mindset is like that of the Bedouin tribes! If you take a Bedouin into a private room, you can get him to do whatever you want — but you have to show him respect in front of his people, and then everything's fine. But if you just agree something in private and then embarrass him in front of his group, he'll lose it. That kind of mentality exists with the Druze. And the way the communication's been happening — whether with Lahoud, with you, or whoever — it's all been on a very low level (he says in English), and that's really bothering him.
President: He was supposed to come see me!
Hariri: Yes, I know. But from what he says, he's not involved in the issue of extending Lahoud's term. And you know Walid — he's known for saying one thing and doing another. He's been talking a lot lately, only yesterday he gave an interview to L'Orient and made a few other statements. His message is that he's not on board with amending the constitution to extend Lahoud's term. He feels like he didn't support him back in '98 either because of the military angle and external interference.
President: He was against Lahoud coming in?
Hariri: He was against having a military guy take over. But the truth is, when it came to extending Elias Hrawi's term, his biggest supporter back then was actually Walid.
President: Yes, but he also backed Lahoud.
Hariri: Yes, he did. He definitely went along with it.
President: Lahoud even mentioned that, as he was one of the candidates at the time.
Hariri: True. The point is, Lahoud's a military man — and that has nothing to do with politics or anything else. All that talk is just from Lahoud's people. And honestly, when it comes to running the country internally, Lahoud's performance has undoubtedly been below average.
President: To be honest, the whole political class, all of you, are more or less on the same level. But that's not really the issue. I'm not going to get into those details — that's internal Lebanese stuff. But once the decision is made, it's not about Lahoud anymore. Look at Syria, they changed the constitution for one person.
Hariri: True.
President: As a result, Bashar became president, but this was because people actually wanted him, not because he was forced on anyone. And we in Syria — we don't have any particular person, and you know that. Take 1998, for example: we disagreed with you on the state, but we still had your back personally, right? Then in 2000, you came back, and we had no problem with that. We kept supporting you.
Now, about the internal situation — yes, I've heard the complaints from the Lebanese about Lahoud. But this isn't just about internal politics for us - you can see what we're facing — the pressure we're under. It's intense. And honestly, this decision wasn't made long ago — we only made it recently. But I'll tell you this: from a strategic point of view, this is our top priority, no question.
And if Lahoud stays on, he's going to have to change how he operates — he won't be able to do things his own way anymore, not in terms of approach or behaviour. But once we made the decision, and you've told me this yourself before, the relationship between us since '98 has been an effective one. Every time you came to talk, I'd always say: I'm not the kind of person who wants to hear talk — I want to see action. And today, this is the first real test between us - this will let me see where Rafic really stands.
Because once this decision is made, it stops being about Lahoud. It becomes about Syria. And once we commit, we will follow through, whether there's a fight or not. I already told Walid: this is a Syrian decision, and once it's made, we're going forward.
All the Lebanese are freaking out, talking about protests, civil disobedience, all that! We told them: fine, go ahead. Even the people closest to him told us this. We said: now we're in a moment of truth. The current situation is one thing, but what comes next is something different. Right now, things are tough, but you've been through worse, you came in '98 when the country was emerging from a war, it was going through chaos, and Syria protected you, and it will keep protecting you. That has to remain clear. You need to stick with Syria, and Syria needs to stick with you. But you can't expect Syria to back you if we don't feel like we can count on you, too.
Honestly, over the past period, our experience with you has been good across the board. Lahoud isn't the real problem, I know your issues with him, I know how hard he's made things for you. And if you sat here all night telling me about it, I'd likely agree with every word. I'm not going to argue. But what I need from you is for us to find a solution together. There are priorities here, there's a bigger picture. We can't just focus on the Lebanese part of it.
(He pauses, then continues...)
President: Look, I'll be honest with you, I'm not going to hold you responsible for what's going on with the French. I'm not blaming you, as I know your relationship with Chirac is deep. But there's no question — Chirac has been acting badly. He's the one who went to the Americans about passing a resolution to get Syria out of Lebanon. He's clearly trying to explode the situation in Lebanon.
But Syria won't walk away just like that. If that's what he's aiming for, then he needs to understand, it's not even up for discussion. Syria has kept Lebanon secure, and we're still doing that. We don't want things to escalate. So the French ambassador shouldn't waste his time, and neither should the Patriarch. All the statements being made, and the reactions to the consultations, they've made it a direct confrontation with Bashar. And trust me, Bashar knows how to respond.
So far, I haven't entered into a confrontation in Lebanon. But if I do, all of Syria does. We don't do things halfway. Every Syrian will be involved, even the Druze, I mean the Druze in Syria, they'll be involved too.
That's why I'm hoping we can avoid that outcome. From what I've seen, it doesn't look like we're heading there, we're still moving forward, and we haven't even finalised our decision yet. But it's becoming clear that what's being pushed around this whole constitutional amendment has turned into a challenge aimed at Syria.
The issue is no longer Lahoud or anything else. There is no longer any way to push him back. Things will be very difficult.
So I'm hoping we can move ahead with this clearly and directly, so that the amendment goes forward. That's the point I wanted to start with. Now I want to hear what you have to say.
Hariri (sighs deeply): Look, sir...
President: I know you're shaken, but we need to talk. You're a politician, you've got to be able to handle difficult situations, right?
Hariri: I mean, look… back in 1998, I stepped down from power, and yes, like you said, you had my back. But let's be real, you protected me from someone we all helped bring in. It's not like you were shielding me from Israel or something. You were protecting me from someone I personally supported and voted for. I even backed the constitutional amendment to make him president. And honestly, if I had said no back then, he wouldn’t have made it. If we’d disagreed, Émile Lahoud wouldn't have become president.
President: That decision came from President Hafez al-Assad.
Hariri: Of course, and I respect that. It was his decision — no problem. But he consulted with us first, asked for our opinion.
President: That's right.
Hariri: And he told us, "I gave the man my word." The thing is, Lahoud lied to me, like I already told you. And it wasn't just a little thing. I sat with him for three meetings, Mr President, and in each one, he told me every kind of lie just to fool me, we were on the same side. Meanwhile, he was already working to bring in Salim Hoss behind my back. Whatever, that's his right; he's the new president, and he wants someone who serves his agenda. Fine.
But I didn't support the extension because I was convinced by Lahoud — I did it because President Hafez made the call. And from the start, Lahoud made it his goal to push Rafic Hariri out of the picture for three years. And I really believe that hasn't changed.
President: No, nothing about that has changed.
Hariri (sighing deeply): Mr President, yesterday I went down for the cabinet session in the morning. He couldn't make it, or maybe he heard I was coming, so he called and asked to delay the meeting until the afternoon because he was "busy" earlier. But instead of just saying, "I'm busy, let Hariri chair the meeting," he insisted he would chair it himself later! That's one thing.
Then there's his nomination announcement. Abu Abdo came to see me on Monday, and he didn't say anything about a decision having been made. He just said, "The President wants to meet with you," and suggested the first of the month. I told him, "On the 1st, I have a dinner — I invited the World Bank's president and his wife four months ago, they're staying with us for a few days, I can't cancel now." So he said, "Okay, then maybe the 4th or 5th." And he added, straight up, that there was no final decision, they were just exploring options, nothing was fixed yet. That was Monday. Then Tuesday, he goes and announces his candidacy. And how does he do it? He publishes our proposal in a booklet! A whole printed booklet!
President: That's on him. He took it on himself. I asked for the statement, but…
Hariri: Did you see what he said?
President: Yeah — he said we all share responsibility.
Hariri: He said we all share responsibility for how badly things are going internally, but…
President (cutting in): So now you and Nabih don't bear any responsibility? (laughs) Come on, it's not fair to just dump it all on him. Doesn't he make mistakes? Of course he does!
Hariri: Firstly, Nabih is one thing, I'm a completely different story.
President: Of course — but the three of you…
Hariri: Nabih is the Speaker of Parliament — he has powers, he has a team. And I'm the Prime Minister — I have a different character, I've got a team, and I've more or less gathered...
President (interrupting): So each one of you is running your own state? Or maybe each of you thinks he has his own country?!
Hariri: No, not at all.
President: You all share responsibility for the country.
Hariri: For a while now, it's been Lahoud running the state.
President: Not entirely.
Hariri: No — entirely, completely. Maybe you're not fully aware of what's going on.
President: I don't know all the details, no.
Hariri: Completely, Mr President — completely. He brings up issues that aren't even on the cabinet agenda. He has no right to do that. The constitution says that only in cases of absolute necessity can the president bring up something outside the agenda. Just last week, he brought up an issue related to Fouad Makhzoumi. I refused to include it in the agenda.
President: I heard about that.
Hariri: Right. He submitted a request — he wants to form a political party. And then he went on TV and insulted the Mufti — he insulted the Mufti on TV!
President: Okay, let me ask you a question: What does insulting the Mufti have to do with forming a political party? There's no connection.
Hariri: No, there is a connection.
President: What's the connection?
Hariri: There is a connection.
President: Okay. So people are upset with him because of what he said about the Mufti. But look — the logic of the state is different from the logic of the sect.
Hariri: I'm the Prime Minister. You know what I asked for?
President: A delay.
Hariri: I said, let's just delay a bit until things cool down. But no, he insisted on bringing it up, and he brought it in from outside the agenda. He had no right. No right at all.
President: Okay, so you were acting based on the fact that people were upset — the Sunnis were angry. But what he asked for was legitimate under the law.
Hariri: But this is the Mufti we're talking about. The Mufti! How can you ignore that?
President: I know, I know. But you're speaking from the perspective of public feeling, while he's speaking from the perspective of the constitution, the law. If the President of the Republic is speaking from a legal standpoint, then he's within his rights. And if there was an insult exchanged between him and the Mufti, then he should be held accountable — legally. Hold him accountable according to the law. Your point of view is valid, and so is his.
Hariri: But he didn't even submit the request — there wasn't a single piece of paper on the table!
President: In any case, I know the details of this issue.
Hariri: I'm just giving you this as an example. This Friday, it's on the agenda for the session. It's going to be discussed.
President: Okay, and what about Mufti Qabbani's statement, and Mufti Qabalan's? Did they issue it on their own or what? Let's be realistic! That's how things work in Lebanon. That's what the Lebanese want!
Hariri: True.
President (laughing): And you've got your own media too, you put out whatever message you want.
Hariri: The whole problem actually started with Qabalan. And the statement was put together because of what was happening in the Metn.
President: That's even worse. It means they’re jumping from one issue to another.
Hariri: The person who wrote the statements for Mufti Qabbani is Mohammad Sammak. We're related. But he's also an adviser to the Mufti. They asked him to write it, so he did. Then he showed it to both of them — Mufti Qabbani and Mufti Qabalan — they approved it, and then the statement was released.
President: And how long ago was this?
Hariri: Three or four months ago.
President: So Lahoud came and responded, and we can understand why. What I mean is, there's blame on both sides.
Hariri: And I didn't object to anything else!
President: You said he blamed us in his statement. Well, if there's a statement attacking him, he has the right to respond!
Hariri: But he didn't respond to the Mufti. If he had responded to the Mufti, that would've been fine.
President: Do you think that if you told Lahoud, "Stay home and don't attend cabinet sessions," he'd stay home, or not?
Hariri: (pauses, silent)
President: You don't know! Leave it, you'll find out in time.
Hariri: But you were telling him...
President (interrupting): No, more than that. What was expected from all of you was to come to an agreement and find a solution.
Hariri (raising his voice): On what exactly?!
President (matching the tone): On everything! On everything! Because the cabinet isn't functioning. None of the ministers talk! You need to work together as a cabinet! That's how we do things in Syria. And in your case, in Lebanon, it's even more important. But each of you keeps making personal attacks on each other, let's just say it, that's the reality. And in the end, the Lebanese people are complaining about the whole situation. They're not with him against you. And they're not with you against him either. Not at all.
What matters now is that this is no longer about Lahoud. This is about Syria. The issue has become a Syrian issue. The decision is Syria's decision. And the picture is no longer just about Lebanon or about your relationship with Lahoud. For us, it's about the need for reform in Lebanon, the internal situation, and Lebanon's external relations. Those are the real issues.
Hariri: As for Lebanon's external relations, Mr President, I don't think there's any problem there. Lebanon has always stood by Syria. That's never been in question.
President: No, look, there are a hundred ways they can destabilise Syria from inside Lebanon. There are so many methods, so it's not right to oversimplify things like that. And when it comes to foreign affairs, I think you understand that better than anyone.
Now the decision has been made, it's final. Nabih knows, and he's on board. I just got word from Rustum. So now, we're moving forward — we want to enter a new phase, and we want you to be part of it. And if I thought differently of you, well, you know me, I'm straightforward and transparent. You've seen how I deal with Arab leaders. I say things as they are.
Hariri: I know.
President: That's why, no, we have criticisms of all the Lebanese political class. Every single one of them is full of flaws, top to bottom. But despite all these issues and the general atmosphere, what's important is that we move forward seriously. I'm not putting the blame on you — Lahoud has his share of responsibility. And honestly, if we told him to just step aside and stay home, he'd do it. He wouldn't mind.
And we also have serious issues with his circle — people like Michel, Elias, and the rest. This whole setup needs to change. Syria can't keep working with Lebanon like this. If Lebanon collapses, Syria goes down with it.
Hariri: But that will take a whole new group of people!
President: No, no. First, you need to take responsibility alongside us. If you stand aside, then it won't matter who becomes Prime Minister. But you, you're a Prime Minister with unique abilities. But with your current attitude, it's just not going to work.
Hariri: What attitude are you talking about?
President: You'll understand later, not now. Everything in its time. We just want you moving in the right direction. That's it. And when you acknowledge the decision is made here, do you just say that, or do you really believe it? You've always come to me saying that.
Hariri: I know the decision is made here, and I do believe it, Mr President. But when it comes to the President of the Republic, for me to continue with him just isn't reasonable, because over the past six years, two in the opposition and four in government, up until now, even yesterday, you're asking me to do something beyond what anyone could bear.
President: Then why do you keep saying the decision is made here?
Hariri: I still say it is, because Lebanon can't be governed any other way. But we're not debating where the decision comes from. What we're talking about is that Emile Lahoud staying on and extending his term will, in my opinion, do serious harm to Syria as well as Lebanon. And what you're asking of me... It's just beyond what I can do.
President (calmly): No, it's not beyond your ability, on the contrary.
Hariri: No, it is! It really is!
President: So that means you're refusing! Are you refusing?
Hariri: That's not what I'm saying. It's not like that. You're putting me in a position where it's either I...
President (cutting him off): So that means your capacity is limited?
Hariri: Yes.
President: We thought you had more in you than that.
Hariri: No, at least when it comes to this issue, I can't take it.
President: Alright then. If that's your decision.
Hariri: Mr President, I mean... I don't want to sit here complaining about my own weakness, but I've been living on medication for a while now, and I've never taken meds in my life!
President: Okay, now...
Hariri (interrupting): I've been living on meds for some time now.
President: So you expect me to base my decision on that?
Hariri: No, no, no. I don't want you to make your decision based on the medication. It's just... I can't. I can't! This whole thing has humiliated me! No, no, no, I just... I don't know what to say. This man humiliated me.
President: So now you want to argue with me about Lahoud, when I'm talking to you about a much bigger issue, a Syrian decision, a larger matter. So is this about Syria or Lahoud?
Hariri: You're putting me in a position where Syria and Lahoud are one and the same?
President: No, Rafic. You're the one who did that. You're the one who just said the decision is in our hands. You said President Bashar is the key. And you said that to my face, not even two months ago, before any statements or anything else.
Hariri (a bit heated): No, Mr President, you know what I think about Lahoud. And I already told you what that man did to me last time — and what he continues to do to me!
President (calmly): Syria and Lebanon are more important than two or three people. Do you understand the idea? That's what I'm discussing here. I'm leaving the decision to you. It's in your hands. You decide what kind of relationship we'll have between us. I'm not going to force anything on you.
Hariri: Mr President...
President (cutting in): I've given you my decision. You're free to do what you want with it. I've given it to you, take it, use it. Or discard it!
Hariri: No, I won't discard it!
President: You need to follow through with this. That's enough.
Hariri: Let me explain something, Mr President...
President (interrupting): You've said a lot to me and to Rustum. Now it's time to test it!
Hariri: No. No...
President: This is the first real test, Rafic. The first real one.
Hariri: No, no, Mr President. I've spent 22 years never disobeying Syria, not once. Have I ever let Syria down? Then why did I put up with everything for all those years?
President: I've been president for four years now.
Hariri: Yes — four years. And in those first two years, Mr President, there were several times I was ready to come to you, ask your permission, and say: I can't take this anymore. But the only reason I didn't do it is because I knew that in Lebanon, back then, before we organised the Paris II conference, if I walked away, everything would collapse. So I held on, just until we pulled off Paris II. Then shortly after Paris, Iraq happened, and I came to you and said: "Look, if you want to change this government, do it now. Bring in a government you're comfortable with."
You formed a new government on the basis that you were comfortable with it. But it turned out to be one totally aligned with Emile Lahoud, no matter what! And this government was supposed to protect Syrian security and Syrian policy in a way that would make you feel completely at ease!
President (slightly agitated): If we're going to talk like this, let's talk about the sectarian issue that played out and which you were a big part of. Don't make me bring up every issue all over again. Let's be clear now - I know Lebanon's situation in detail. We're not here to play cat-and-mouse! You know it, and I know it. We know everything. We know your relationship with the Mufti. We know all the games played to provoke Lahoud and show up his mistakes — we know what was going on. We know everything that's happening between you two. The sectarian stuff was dangerous. And I didn't want to talk like this! And as for the French ambassador's actions (raising his voice), I'm holding you directly responsible now and telling you: You see Chirac as an ally. So, what is this relationship? I want to know what's really going on. If we're talking about reality and what's best for Syria and Lebanon, we can say: No, nothing good has happened. Nothing at all. What does the communication from Chirac mean, these three or four envoys he sent us?! There's a real problem here, and I can hold you responsible if I choose to. You can't say: "He wore me out and humiliated me." This is a state decision. We're not dealing with each other as individuals. Syria's situation differs from the Lebanese situation. I hope you get that.
President: Now, I've given you the decision. The decision has been made, and both the Syrians and the Lebanese have been informed. There's no going back. If you want to take it, I've told you, the decision's in your hands. I don't want to discuss this matter with you anymore. I'm speaking to you as a friend first and foremost, but when I speak as a president, I'll tell you there are a hundred thousand things in my hands. But I don't want us to reach that stage! We love and respect you, and I want our friendship to stay this way. I hope you go along with this position. The interests of Syria and Lebanon are above everything else. I hope this is clear. Now, Nabih is coming to see me, and I'll inform him directly, and we'll move forward. We are advancing. No matter the results, we're moving. So, from now until then, I hope things will be really good and remain calm so you can help us reach a good place. I mean, if things don't go well, will Syria tolerate it? No, Syria will have a different position. I hope we progress with this issue. The decision is yours. You don't need to decide right away. The decision's in your hands - if you want to think it over, reconsider, inform someone, I'll leave it to you. But this is the first real test between you and me - the first time I'm testing you. It's the first time I'm saying to you: let's see, after everything you've said, show me the results! Will it be my decision or your issues with Lahoud? I don't want to hear the answer right now. Think about it and then inform Brigadier General Rustom or inform Nabih, no problem.
Hariri: Alright.
President: Coordinate with General Rustom.
Hariri: With him?!
President: Yes, with General Rustom. Talk to him and tell him if there's any news.
Hariri: Okay.
President: Alright, take care.
Hariri: Goodbye!
President: Goodbye.
Farouk al-Sharaa is a Syrian politician and diplomat. He served as foreign minister from 1984 to 2006, then as vice president until 2014.
This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition. To read the original article click here.
Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@newarab.com
Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.