In the main avenue of Tarik El Jadideh, the portraits of the present majority leader Saad Hariri and his father, the assassinated former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, surround the area along with the blue flags of the Future Movement. This region, which majority is Sunni, witnessed violent armed combats between the Sunnis and the Shiites in Beirut last May. Way before these confrontations, Tarik El Jadideh was already the emblem of tensions between these two communities in the Lebanese capital.

In this area, where the stand is mainly anti-Syrian, the inhabitants support Saad Hariri almost unanimously. The Future Movement leader who benefits from the support of the West and Saudi Arabia did not react to Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to Damascus on September 3 and 4 to meet his counterpart Bachar el Assad and try to bring closer the two countries. At Tarik El Jadideh, the announced visit of Sarkozy to Syria is yet welcomed.

“The French policy in the Middle East has always been a good one because it has always served the Arab world’s interests. The meeting between Bachar el Assad and the French President cannot be but positive for the region”, said the 40 year-old Youssef. This jeweler is convinced that the visit of Nicolas Sarkozy will ease the tensions in Lebanon. “It is important that the two presidents hold a discussion over our country and find a way to put an end to everything that makes us suffer right here”.