06 January 2009 05:05 GMT
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About Lebanon
Lebanon is a fascinating but troubled place. A tiny but diverse republic on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean, it is home to more than 20 different religious groups and boasts ski resorts, vineyards, beaches, vibrant nightlife – and a reputation for constant political unrest.
Since its creation in 1943, before which it was a part of Syria, Lebanon has been subject to a long series of conflicts. The most debilitating of these was the 1975-1990 Civil War, which left most of the country in tatters and is perhaps still being played out today.
At the heart of the conflict is a fundamental uncertainty over what kind of country Lebanon is, or should be. Many Lebanese would prefer a secular, liberal and western-oriented outpost in the Middle East, whilst many others favour a more conservative Muslim state loosely allied with Syria and Iran.
After the Civil War came to end, Lebanon embarked on a period of recovery in the 1990s and early 2000s, putting itself back on the world’s tourism map and enjoying an economic boom and rising foreign investment.
Then in February 2005 came the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a massive car bomb on the Beirut seafront. Hariri’s death, which still remains unsolved, sparked a series of unprecedented protests against Syria’s all-pervading presence in Lebanon.
Over a million Lebanese were estimated to have gathered in central Beirut on 14 March 2005, adding to heavy international and local pressure for the Syrians began to withdraw their personnel and troops.
This began in April 2005, and made Lebanon nominally independent. But since then the country has struggled to find stability and direction amidst major disagreement between the rival political and religious groupings.
Matters were not helped by the summer 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful political and military group based in south Lebanon. This lasted ten weeks and killed than 1,000 Lebanese, whilst virtually destroying the country’s vital tourist industry.
Since 2007 the country has been in a political standstill thanks to stalling tactics, protests and resignations by political groups opposed to the current pro-western government.
Tensions have been rising since late 2007 with the failure to elect a new President and a number of small-scale riots and targeted assassinations in and around Beirut.
Nevertheless, Lebanon’s economy manages somehow to function – perhaps largely due to the billions of dollars which Lebanese expatriates send back home every year.
Sadly the same does not apply for the country’s tourist industry. Lebanon remains on many lists of ‘no-go’ destinations around the world, even though dangers are arguably very slight for visitors.
About the airport
Beirut’s airport is named after Rafik Hariri, the country’s former Prime Minister who was killed in 2005 in an assassination which sparked huge political unrest – and whose effects are still being played out today.
The airport was first opened in the early 1950s, when Beirut was still the region’s premier business and tourist destination. After being battered during the 1975-90 civil war, it was comprehensively redeveloped and rebuilt from the mid-1990s before being officially renamed as the Rafik Hariri International Airport in June 2005, several months after the former Prime Minister’s death.
The ten-week war of summer 2006, waged between Israel and Hezbollah, also damaged the airport’s runways and forced it to close temporarily.
The airport is used by Middle East Airlines (MEA), one of the region’s oldest airlines which is still partially owned by the Lebanese government.
There is only one terminal at the airport, which is used by all airlines and split over two levels. Very few passengers actually connect through Beirut, with MEA catering mainly for point-to-point traffic.
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