Chateau In the Clouds

This lovely place is the Chateau du Domaine de Saint-Francois d'assise, in La Celle Saint-Cloud, France. I believe that it is the chateau where the assorted Lebanese lieutenants are meeting; all news reports mention a "chateau" and this was the only chateau I could find. If they are meeting at a different chateau, it is relatively immaterial. If you have seen one French chateau, you have seen them all.

The meeting place is not entirely irrelevant. The hope is that, by getting the leaders away from their supporters, they will be more willing to listen to opposing views and, therefore, compromise. Nor is the meeting being held in Paris. The parties are secluded together, without much to do but listen to each other speak. Of course, the big bosses in Lebanon will be able to reach their lieutenants, but they will not presumably have suites of offices where armies of advisors vet every statement. The diplomatic strategy is to encourage out-of-the-box thinking, and spontaneity.

La Celle Saint-Cloud isn't far from the city of Versailles. There are two morals one could take away from this. More pessimistic observers may observe that France decision not to use the famous Palace of Versailles is a sign of the weight they put on the Lebanese crisis, while more optimistic individuals may suggest that the city's diplomatic magic remains tainted from the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. Writer Hillaire Belloc hailed from La Celle Saint-Cloud and, despite his prodigious talent, should probably not be considered a worthy patron saint of the negotiations. Belloc was known for his anti-Islamic views, and wrote extensively on war. Here is a passage of his -- an adapted Christmas song -- that, hopefully, Celle Saint-Cloud's Lebanese guests do not stumble over:

'May all good fellows that here agree

Drink Audit Ale in heaven with me,

And may all my enemies go to hell!

Noel! Noel! Noel! Noel!

May all my enemies go to hell!

Noel! Noel!'