The Nine Lives of Premier Karami

When Lebanese President Suleiman Franjieh announced the appointment of his country's first military government, Beirut crackled with small-arms fire as Lebanese Christians celebrated. Last week the military government bowed out after three days, and again the city popped with gunfire. This time it came from Beirut's Moslem neighborhoods, rejoicing that Franjieh had asked former Premier Rashid Karami to head a civilian government. The change in leadership was precipitated by the latest in a series of clashes between the country's Moslem majority (about 60%) and Christian minority that have troubled Lebanon (pop. 3.2 million) throughout its 32 years as a nation.

For several months, the leader of the right-wing, predominantly Christian Phalangist Party, Pierre Gemayel, 70, had been demanding that Palestinian guerrillas be barred from bearing arms. To Gemayel, the 320,000 Palestinians in Lebanon, including 5,000 under arms, represent a "state within a state" that exposed Lebanon to recurring Israeli attack. In mid-April a five-day battle in Beirut between Palestinians and the Phalangists' own 6,000-man militia left at least 150 dead and 300 injured.

Three weeks ago, Premier Rashid Solh resigned. When the fighting broke out again, Franjieh named a military government headed by retired Brigadier General Noureddin Rifai to restore order. The appointment was in keeping with a long-standing rule that the Lebanese President should be a Maronite Christian (which Franjieh is), while the Premier should be a Sunni Moslem (as Rifai is). Lebanese Moslems were furious at the appointment, nonetheless, because Rifai represents the army, whose officer corps is predominantly Christian. The Palestinians and even the neighboring Syrians were also angry. Damascus quickly dispatched its Foreign Minister to Beirut to express its displeasure.

First Mission. Rifai quickly resigned. Franjieh knew that the Moslems favored Karami, who had served as Premier in eight governments since 1955. But he happens to loathe Karami. The President approached two other ex-premiers for the job; both refused because of the extent of Karami's support. Shrugging, Franjieh accepted the inevitable.

Karami, son of a founding father of Lebanon, quickly reassured the Moslem population that "we will always cooperate with our brothers, the Palestinians." But he is also respected by most Christians, including the Phalangists.

His government's first mission, Karami said, would be to "reestablish law, order, tranquillity, and thus self-confidence." The combatants, exhausted after eleven days of fighting that had taken at least 120 more lives, began to disperse their private armies. But at week's end a Palestinian youth was shot down by a street gang, and suddenly the city was again a battleground. South of Beirut, a Christian village and a Moslem village exchanged rocket and mortar fire; a merchant in the Christian community was killed. It is thus clear that Karami's first mission--re-establishing order--may be his hardest.

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