Behind closed doors: The inside story of the Taif Agreement

Sixty journalists stood in silent astonishment in the lobby of the InterContinental Hotel in Taif as David Satterfield, First Secretary of the United States Embassy in Beirut, stepped out of the lift and made his way into the hotel restaurant. His unexpected presence sparked curiosity among the gathered reporters, who soon learned that Satterfield was lodged in “Room 130” the very same hotel where both the press corps and U.S. diplomat Richard Jones were staying.

This brief but telling encounter was only one of many unexpected twists surrounding the Taif Conference the gathering that produced The National Accord Document, the agreement that brought Lebanon’s fifteen-year civil war to an end and introduced the most significant constitutional amendments since the country’s founding in 1926. Few could have foreseen that by 1989, a parliament reduced to just seventy-three surviving members out of the original ninety-nine would lay the foundations for what became known as the “Taif Republic.

The delegation and the journey to Taif

Not all 73 MPs made the journey. Eleven abstained from attending, leaving 62 parliamentarians to gather in the Saudi mountain resort of Taif, a rare reunification of representatives arriving from three different cities: divided Beirut (East and West), Paris, and Geneva.

Among them was former Prime Minister Saeb Salam, who travelled from Geneva carrying his defiant slogan, “Failure is not an option.” Salam, famous for his patriotic mantra “One Lebanon, not two,” embodied the spirit of reconciliation that many hoped the conference would achieve.

On the evening of Friday, 29 September 1989, the parliamentary delegation reconvened at Taif Airport. Deputies from West Beirut departed via Beirut International Airport, while those from East Beirut took off from the Adma helicopter base to Cyprus, before continuing to Taif. Others flew in from Paris and Geneva.

Accompanying the Lebanese delegation was Lakhdar Brahimi, the veteran Algerian diplomat representing the Arab Tripartite Committee, composed of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Algeria, which assumed responsibility for sponsoring and facilitating the talks.

When questioned by Lebanese journalists about his impressions, Brahimi replied with characteristic diplomacy: “When the sea is present, there is no need for dry ablution,” a metaphorical way of saying he would not speak in the presence of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

Inside the Conference Palace

From the airport, the 62 deputies were taken directly to the Conference Palace, constructed by Rafik Hariri and completed six months ahead of schedule to host an Arab League Summit. The venue, trusted by the Saudi leadership and personally endorsed by King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, became the setting for a historic national reconciliation.

Meanwhile, the journalists numbering almost as many as the MPs were accommodated at the Intercontinental Hotel, some forty kilometers away.

Initially, the conference was expected to last no more than four days, from Monday to Saturday, and visas were issued accordingly. Yet the proceedings stretched unexpectedly into twenty-two days, concluding only at 10 p.m. on 22 October 1989, when the final text of the agreement was announced. The prolonged duration forced some deputies to purchase personal necessities from Taif’s markets.

Within the Conference Palace, comfort was ensured; medical staff were on standby, and indeed two deputies Edouard Honein and Habib Keyrouz received treatment during the deliberations.

Life at the journalists’ hotel

The journalists, confined to their hotel and disconnected from direct access to the negotiations, relied on Abdullah Maalouf, the Parliament’s media officer, who provided nightly press briefings summarizing the day’s discussions. To pass time, many journalists resorted to music, poetry, and debate. The press hall became a vibrant meeting space for some of Lebanon’s leading media figures Mohammad Baalbaki, Melhem Karam, Talal Salman, Adel Malik, and Arafat Hijazi, among others.

Newspapers, radio stations, and television networks had all sent correspondents, underscoring the significance of the event.

The divisions and the breakthrough

Prominent absentees included Kamel al-Asaad, Raymond Eddé, and Albert Mokheiber, whose decision not to attend drew public attention.

The formal opening took place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, 30 September, with Rafik Hariri, dressed in traditional Gulf attire, moving among the deputies. Hariri played an instrumental role in preparing and facilitating the conference.

By the twenty-second day, the deputies were debating the comprehensive document presented by the Arab Tripartite Committee. Tensions ran high, with disagreements so sharp that some deputies threatened to withdraw. However, their passports were retained at the Conference Palace an arrangement that made departure practically impossible.

Throughout the talks, communication lines remained open with Beirut, Damascus, the Vatican, Paris, and Washington. Exchanges intensified whenever contentious issues arose.

Finally, at 10 p.m. on Monday, 22 October 1989, symbolic “white smoke” rose from the Conference Palace signaling the birth of the Taif Agreement.

After Taif: From Jeddah to Qlayaat

The next day, the deputies bid farewell to the Conference Palace, while journalists left the Intercontinental Hotel. The delegation travelled by bus from Taif to Jeddah, roughly one hundred kilometers away, where they were treated to a brief sightseeing tour.

On 24 October, King Fahd received the Lebanese deputies at the Qasr al-Salam (Peace Palace) in Jeddah.

Despite the celebratory tone, uncertainty loomed. The deputies feared that General Michel Aoun, then head of the military government in East Beirut, might obstruct the forthcoming presidential election. To avoid confrontation, they embarked on a courtesy tour to Algeria and Morocco members of the Tripartite Committee to express gratitude for their mediation efforts. They later gathered in Paris, where final consultations took place.

The parliamentarians stayed at the Royal Monceau Hotel and eventually agreed to hold the presidential election at Qlayaat Airport, after other proposed venues including the Central Bank in Hamra and the Mansour Palace near the National Museum were rejected.

Upon learning that the election was imminent, General Aoun summoned Judge Joseph Ghosn Jrayssati, Director-General of the Presidency, and obtained from him a decree dissolving Parliament thereby declaring the election unconstitutional.

However, only hours later, Radio Orient in Paris broadcast the opinion of renowned French constitutional expert Georges Vedel, who deemed the dissolution legally void.

The birth of the “Taif Republic”

The deputies proceeded to meet at Qlayaat Airport, where they held three sessions:

1.     To re-elect Hussein el-Husseini as Speaker of Parliament.

2.     To approve the Taif Accord.

3.     To elect René Moawad as President of the Republic in the second round of voting after Georges Saadeh and Elias Hrawi withdrew in his favour.

As the voting took place, the homes of several deputies in East Beirut were set ablaze.

Thus concluded a five-week odyssey from 30 September to 5 November 1989 marking the birth of the Taif Republic, the constitutional and political framework that continues to define Lebanon’s post-war order.