Assad knows that the election of a president who bolsters Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence would make Syria’s return difficult – and Assad, as even his allies privately admit, wants nothing less. Indeed, it was his decision to extend, unconstitutionally, the term of the reliably pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud as Lebanon’s president in 2004 that triggered the political crisis leading to Hariri’s murder and the emergence of a coalition of anti-Syrian groups, which included many former Syrian allies.
阿萨德知道，如果维护黎巴嫩主权和独立的人当选总统，叙利亚重返黎巴嫩就会变得困难。甚至阿萨德的盟友们也私下承认他不愿意将就。实际上，正是他在2004年决定违背宪法延长亲叙利亚的黎巴嫩总统拉乌德的任期，引发了政治危机，造成哈黎里被害以及各反叙利亚团体结盟的出现，这些团体中包括许多以前叙利亚的盟友。