I started a two-nation journey with a peace-building workshop in Geneva, organised by news agency InfoSud and journalism network Media21. Geneva served as an appropriate destination as it is home to approximately 200 international organisations. It is where decision makers, diplomats, mediators and warring parties meet.
One of the most prominent international organisations in Geneva is the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), part of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The organisation's logo is such a powerful symbol of neutrality that it has been abused by governments to serve their own interests. The Red Cross recently came under pressure to adopt a third symbol and opted for the red diamond.
At the Red Cross museum in Geneva, the first exhibit that greets visitors are passages from the holy books of major religions, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism among others, that speak of human rights. The museum has a fascinating collection of exhibits, including the First Geneva Convention.
I also visited the United Nations Office at Geneva. The building, called Palais des Nations (Palace of Nations), was the headquarters of the League of Nations between 1929 and 1938 and became the UN office in Geneva in the 1950s. Switzerland did not become a member of the United Nations until 2002 as part of its policy of neutrality. The joining made the country the 190th member state.
The next leg of the journey was to Beirut, part of a field trip to see the aftermath of war. Lebanon saw a brutal month-long war with Israel in the south during the summer of 2006. I arrived at the height of political tension in the city, much of which escalated after the war. Here you can see graffiti on a wall reading "[Rafiq] Hariri only", in an area that is considered a stronghold of the March 14 movement led by Sa'ad Hariri, Rafiq's political heir.
Areas of Beirut that would usually be crowded with tourists from the Gulf and around the world were silent, with little business or activity. Restaurateurs in the downtown area said business had not been so bad in years, blaming the political deadlock and the long-held protest by the opposition. In the capital, I met the Swiss ambassador to Lebanon, a political analyst and former finance minister Georges Corm, who gave me their take on the war with Israel and the political situation there.
I also met Hezbollah officials who took me on a tour of the Dahiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, which saw heavy bombing by Israel during the war. Rebuilding has started and is being spearheaded by a new company called Promise, with the slogan: To build the Dahiyah better than it was. The company is controlled by Hezbollah and officials say funding for the rebuilding has come from various Gulf and Arab countries.
The next stop was Tyre in south Lebanon. I stayed in Old Tyre, which has changed hands a number of times. The Mediterranean port city is perhaps best known as an ancient Phoenician city. Tyre has a fascinating history. Few buildings in the area we stayed in were built later than the 1800s or 1900s, and many were much older.
Roman ruins in Tyre. The city has changed hands between Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, the Crusaders and Ottomans. It is not uncommon to find local fishermen illegally selling ancient coins and relics to tourists. The city today is home to Christians and Shiite Muslims, with mosques and ancient churches a few steps away from each others.
Political symbols were all over Tyre, as they are in Beirut. But most of Tyre's Christians are supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement led by Michelle Aoun, and the Shiites are supporters of Aoun's allies Amal and Hezbollah, led by Nabih Berri and Hassan Nasrallah respectively. Political souvenirs, like this one of Nasrallah, are popular among tourists, workers of international organisations and the soldiers serving in Lebanon under the United Nations, shopkeepers say.
The yellow building next to the lighthouse is where we stayed, Al Fanar hotel. It is a family-owned business for many generations. The owner's wife told me that every floor has its own history. The basement served as stables during the Crusades, which has been turned into a tiny nightclub. The ground floor was built in the early Ottoman period and the first floor in the last century.
Dalia Farran, spokesperson of the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre (UNMACC), explains the damage caused by the mines and cluster bombs Israel had used in Lebanon. Once demining operations were almost over, the region came under attack again by Israel in 2006, when approximately one million cluster munitions were dropped. Dalia said the failure rate observed on the cluster sub-munitions during the war proved to be higher than average.
On display is a map that Israel has provided to the United Nations, apparently indicating the areas in which the bombs were dropped. The UNMACC says they are of no use to them since the drawings are very vague. What the UN has persistently asked for, says Dalia Farran, is data showing the coordinates of each drop. Israel says it has fulfilled its obligation by handing over this drawings.
Next stop was the office of Handicap International. The organisation is one of a few that is engaged in cluster sub-munitions demining activity in south Lebanon. Other organisations have lost a few members of clearance teams. Handicap International has not lost any. The organisation coordinates with village mukhtars (or leaders) to inform about and attempt to clear bomblets, if found and sends in teams to search and clear.
Clearance teams search the reported areas with special detectors and slowly start to uncover the bomblet before either removing it or destroying it in a control explosion.
Many of the cluster sub-munitions were dropped in residential areas and farms in the hilly south of Lebanon, where the ribbons on some munitions would get stuck in tree branches and make them harder to spot. A lot of residents or the area and families rely on farming to make a living, which was disrupted for some.
And it was time for us to leave Al Fanar hotel, which is popular with members of international organisations that live in Tyre. It is business as usual when I bid adieu.
One of the most prominent international organisations in Geneva is the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), part of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The organisation's logo is such a powerful symbol of neutrality that it has been abused by governments to serve their own interests. The Red Cross recently came under pressure to adopt a third symbol and opted for the red diamond.
At the Red Cross museum in Geneva, the first exhibit that greets visitors are passages from the holy books of major religions, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism among others, that speak of human rights. The museum has a fascinating collection of exhibits, including the First Geneva Convention.
I also visited the United Nations Office at Geneva. The building, called Palais des Nations (Palace of Nations), was the headquarters of the League of Nations between 1929 and 1938 and became the UN office in Geneva in the 1950s. Switzerland did not become a member of the United Nations until 2002 as part of its policy of neutrality. The joining made the country the 190th member state.
The next leg of the journey was to Beirut, part of a field trip to see the aftermath of war. Lebanon saw a brutal month-long war with Israel in the south during the summer of 2006. I arrived at the height of political tension in the city, much of which escalated after the war. Here you can see graffiti on a wall reading "[Rafiq] Hariri only", in an area that is considered a stronghold of the March 14 movement led by Sa'ad Hariri, Rafiq's political heir.
Areas of Beirut that would usually be crowded with tourists from the Gulf and around the world were silent, with little business or activity. Restaurateurs in the downtown area said business had not been so bad in years, blaming the political deadlock and the long-held protest by the opposition. In the capital, I met the Swiss ambassador to Lebanon, a political analyst and former finance minister Georges Corm, who gave me their take on the war with Israel and the political situation there.
I also met Hezbollah officials who took me on a tour of the Dahiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, which saw heavy bombing by Israel during the war. Rebuilding has started and is being spearheaded by a new company called Promise, with the slogan: To build the Dahiyah better than it was. The company is controlled by Hezbollah and officials say funding for the rebuilding has come from various Gulf and Arab countries.
The next stop was Tyre in south Lebanon. I stayed in Old Tyre, which has changed hands a number of times. The Mediterranean port city is perhaps best known as an ancient Phoenician city. Tyre has a fascinating history. Few buildings in the area we stayed in were built later than the 1800s or 1900s, and many were much older.
Roman ruins in Tyre. The city has changed hands between Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, the Crusaders and Ottomans. It is not uncommon to find local fishermen illegally selling ancient coins and relics to tourists. The city today is home to Christians and Shiite Muslims, with mosques and ancient churches a few steps away from each others.
Political symbols were all over Tyre, as they are in Beirut. But most of Tyre's Christians are supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement led by Michelle Aoun, and the Shiites are supporters of Aoun's allies Amal and Hezbollah, led by Nabih Berri and Hassan Nasrallah respectively. Political souvenirs, like this one of Nasrallah, are popular among tourists, workers of international organisations and the soldiers serving in Lebanon under the United Nations, shopkeepers say.
The yellow building next to the lighthouse is where we stayed, Al Fanar hotel. It is a family-owned business for many generations. The owner's wife told me that every floor has its own history. The basement served as stables during the Crusades, which has been turned into a tiny nightclub. The ground floor was built in the early Ottoman period and the first floor in the last century.
Dalia Farran, spokesperson of the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre (UNMACC), explains the damage caused by the mines and cluster bombs Israel had used in Lebanon. Once demining operations were almost over, the region came under attack again by Israel in 2006, when approximately one million cluster munitions were dropped. Dalia said the failure rate observed on the cluster sub-munitions during the war proved to be higher than average.
On display is a map that Israel has provided to the United Nations, apparently indicating the areas in which the bombs were dropped. The UNMACC says they are of no use to them since the drawings are very vague. What the UN has persistently asked for, says Dalia Farran, is data showing the coordinates of each drop. Israel says it has fulfilled its obligation by handing over this drawings.
Next stop was the office of Handicap International. The organisation is one of a few that is engaged in cluster sub-munitions demining activity in south Lebanon. Other organisations have lost a few members of clearance teams. Handicap International has not lost any. The organisation coordinates with village mukhtars (or leaders) to inform about and attempt to clear bomblets, if found and sends in teams to search and clear.
Clearance teams search the reported areas with special detectors and slowly start to uncover the bomblet before either removing it or destroying it in a control explosion.
Many of the cluster sub-munitions were dropped in residential areas and farms in the hilly south of Lebanon, where the ribbons on some munitions would get stuck in tree branches and make them harder to spot. A lot of residents or the area and families rely on farming to make a living, which was disrupted for some.
And it was time for us to leave Al Fanar hotel, which is popular with members of international organisations that live in Tyre. It is business as usual when I bid adieu.
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