A Tragedy, In One Act

(Scene: Grand Serail. Beirut, Lebanon)

(Defense Minister ELIAS MURR is seated in a conference room. He nervously fiddles with a pocketwatch.)

(UNIFIL Commander CLAUDIO GRAZIANO enters the room. ELIAS MURR stands.)

Graziano: Mr. Murr, I know you want to help us implement the Security Council resolutions pertaining to Lebanon and Israel after last summer's war.

Murr: We sure do!

Graziano: -- and the rampant smuggling of weapons across the Syrian border to Hizbullah, which you have done nothing to stop, violates Resolution 1701. It's almost enough to make me question the righteous indignation with which you use United Nations resolutions to criticize Israel for its flyovers of Lebanon.

Murr: I'd just like to make a distinction --

Graziano: The UN is willing to deploy unarmed observers to the Syrian border to monitor the shipment of arms into Lebanon. Programs like this were successful in Bosnia, as a way to maintain the cease-fire. We don't even need to ask Syria, because the observers wouldn't be armed.

Murr: Well, that does seem to make sense --

(The conference door opens, and Syrian President BASHAR AL-ASSAD enters. MURR stutters, and falls silent.)

GRAZIANO: Israel is estimating that, if nothing is done to stop the smuggling, Hizbullah could restore its pre-war military capabilities by mid-May. If that happens, the chances for another war will rise.

Murr: I understand your point, but --

(BASHAR AL-ASSAD, standing in the corner, coughs.)

Graziano: Who are you looking at? What were you going to say?

Murr: Nothing.