Taif Agreement To End the Lebanon Civil War
(1989)
THE TAIF AGREEMENT First, General Principles and Reforms:
I. General Principles:
A. Lebanon is a sovereign, free, and independent country and a final
h omeland for all its citizens.
B. Lebanon is Arab in belonging and identity. It is an active and foun
ding member of the Arab League and is committed to the league's charter.
It is an active and founding member of the United Nations Organization
an d is committed to its charters. Lebanon is a member of the nonaligned
mo vement. The state of Lebanon shall embody these principles in all
areas and spheres, without exception.
C. Lebanon is a democratic parliamentary republic founded on respect
f or public liberties, especially the freedom of expression and belief,
on social justice, and on equality in rights and duties among all citi
zens, without discrimination or preference.
D. The people are the source of authority. They are sovreign and they
shall exercise their sovreignty through the constitutional institutions.
E. The economic system is a free system that guarantees individual
ini tiative and private ownership.
F. Culturally, socially, and economically-balanced development is a
ma instay of the state's unity and of the system's stability.
G. Efforts (will be made) to achieve comprehensive social justice thro
ugh fiscal, economic, and social reform.
H. Lebanon's soil is united and it belongs to all the Lebanese. Every
Lebanese is entitled to live in and enjoy any part of the country u
nder the supremacy of the law. The people may not be categorized on
the basis of any affiliation whatsoever and there shall be no fragmentation,
no partition, and no repatriation [of Palestinians in Lebanon].
I. No authority violating the common co-existance charter shall be
leg itimate II. Political Reforms
A. Chamber of Deputies: The Chamber of Deputies is the legislative
aut hority which exercises full control over government policy and activities.
1. The Chamber spokesman and his deputy shall be elected for the du
ration of the chamber's term.
2. In the first session, two years after it elects its speaker and
deputy speaker, the chamber my vote only once to withdraw confidence
fr om its speaker or deputy speaker with a 2/3 majority of its members
and in accordance with a petition submitted by at least 10 deputies.
In case confidence is withdrawn, the chamber shall convene immediately
t o fill the vacant post.
3. No urgent bill presented to the Chamber of Deputies may be issue
d unless it is included in the agenda of a public session and read in
such a session, and unless the grace period stipulated by the constitution
passes without a resolution on such a bill with the approval of the
cabinet.
4. The electoral district shall be the governorate.
5. Until the Chamber of Deputies passes an election law free of sec
terian restriction, the parliamentary seats shall be divided according
to the following bases:
a. Equally between Christians and Muslims.
b. Proportionately between the denominations of each sect.
c. Proportionately between the districts.
6. The number of members of the Chamber of Deputies shall be incre
ased to 108, shared equally between Christians and Muslims. As for t
he districts created on the basis of this document and the distric ts
whose seats became vacant prior to the proclamation of this doc ument,
their seats shall be filled only once on an emergency basis thr ough
appointment by the national accord government that is planned t o be
formed.
7. With the election of the first Chamber of Deputies on a nationa
l, not secterian, basis, a senate shall be formed and all the spir itual
families shall be represented in it. The senate powers shall be confined
to crucial issues.
B. President of Republic: The president of republic is the head of
th e state and a symbol of the country's unity. He shall contribute
to enhancing the constitution and to preserving Lebanon's independenc
e, unity, and territorial integrity in accordance with the provisions
of the constitution. He is the supreme commander of the armed forces
which are subject to the power of the cabinet. The president shall exerc
ise the following powers:
1. Head the cabinet [meeting] whenever he wishes, but without voti
ng.
2. Head the Supreme Defense Council.
3. Issues decrees and demand their publication. He shall also be e
ntitled to ask the cabinet to reconsider any resolution it makes within
15 days of the date of depostion of the resolution with the presid ential
office. Should the cabinet insist on the adopted resolution, or should
the grace period pass without issuing and returning the decree, the
decree of the resolution shall be valid and must be published.
4. Promulgate laws in accordance with the grace period stipulated by
the constitution and demand their publication upon ratification by the
Chamber of Deputies. After notifying the cabinet, the president may
also request reexamination of the laws within the grace periods provided
by the constitution, and in accordance with the articl es of the constitution.
In case the laws are not issued or returned b efore the end of the grace
periods, they shall be valid by law and th ey must be published.
5. Refer the bills presented to him by the Chamber of Deputies.
6. Name the prime minister-designate in consultation with the Cham
ber of Deputies speaker on the basis of binding parliamentary consultation,
the outcome of which the president shall official ly familiarize the
speaker on.
7. Issue the decree appointing the prime minister independently.
8. On agreement with the prime minister, issue the decree forming the
cabinet.
9. Issue decrees accepting the resignation of the cabinet or of ca
binet ministers and decrees relieving them from their duties.
10. Appoint ambassadors, accept the accreditation of ambassadors, a
nd award state medals by decree.
11. On agreement with the prime minister, negotiate on the conclusi
on and signing of international treaties which shall become valid only
upon approval by the cabinet. The cabinet shall familiariaze the Cha
mber of Deputies with such treaties when the country's interest and
sta te safety make such familiarization possible. As for treaties invo
lving conditions concerning state finances, trade treaties, and other
treaties which may not be abrogated annually, they may not be concluded
without Chamber of Deputies' approval.
12. When the need arises, address messages to the Chamber of Deputi
es.
13. On agreement with the prime minister, summon the Chamber of Dep
uties to hold special sessions by decree.
14. The president of the republic is entitled to present to the cab
inet any urgent issue beyond the agenda.
15. On agreement with the prime minister, call the cabinet to hold
a special session whenever he deems it necessary.
16. Grant special pardon by decree.
17. In the performance of his duty, the president shall not be liab
le unless he violates the constitution or commits high treason.
C. Prime Minister: The prime minister is the head of the government.
He represents it and speaks in its name. He is responsible for implem
enting the general policy drafted by the cabinet. The prime minister
shal l exercise the following powers:
1. Head the cabinet.
2. Hold parliamentary consultations to form the cabinet and co-sig
n with the president the decree forming it. The cabinet shall submit
i ts cabinet statement to the Chamber of Deputies for a vote of conf
idence within 30 days [of its formation]. The cabinet may not exercise
its powers before gaining the confidence, after its resignation, or
when it is considered retired, except within the narrow sense of dis
posing of affairs.
3. Present the government's general policy to the Chamber of Deput
ies.
4. Sign all decrees, except for decrees naming the prime minister and
decrees accepting cabinet resignation or considering it retired.
5. Sign the decree calling for a special session and decrees issui
ng laws and requesting the reexamination of laws.
6. Summon the cabinet to meet, draft its agenda, familiarize the president
of the republic in advance with the issues included i n the agenda and
with the urgent issues to be discussed, and sign the usual session minutes.
7. Observe the activities of the public departments and institutio
ns, coordinate between the ministers, and issue general instruction
s to ensure the smooth progress of work.
8. Hold working sessions with the state agencies concerned in the presence
of the minister concerned.
9. By law, act as the Supreme Defense Council's deputy chairman. D.
Cabinet:
[ No item 1. as published ]
2. Watch over the implementation of laws and regulations and super
vise the activities of all the state agencies without exception, inc
luding the civilian, military, and security departments and institutio
ns.
3. The cabinet is the authority which controls the armed forces.
4. Appoint, dismiss, and accept the resignation of state employees
in accordance with the law. 5. It has the right to dissolve the Chamber
of Deputies at the req uest of the president of the republic if the
chamber refuses to meet throughout an ordinary or a special session
lasting no less tha n one month, even though it is summoned twice consecutively,
or if th e chamber sends back the budget in its entirety with the purpose
of paralyzing the government. This right may not be exercised agai n
for the same reasons which called for dissolving the chamber in the
first instance.
6. When the president of the republic is present, he heads cabinet
sessions. The cabinet shall meet periodically at special headqu arters.
The legal quorum for a cabinet meeting is 2/3 the cabinet membe rs.
The cabinet shall adopt its resolutions by consent. If impossib le,
then by vote. The resolutions shall be adopted by a majority of the
members present. As for major issues, they require the approval of 2/3
the cabinet members. The following shall be considered majo r issues:
The state of emergency and it abolition, war and peace, general mobilization,
international agreements and treaties, th e state's general budget,
comprehensive and long-term development plans, the appointment of top-level
civil servants or their equivalent , reexamination of the administrative
division, dissolving the Chamber of Deputies, the election law, the
citizenship law, the personal status laws, and the dismissal of cabinet
ministers.
E. Minister: The minister's powers shall be reinforced in a manner
compatible with the government's general policiy and with the prin ciple
of collective responsibility. A minister shall not be relieved fro m
his position unless by cabinet decree or unless the Chamber of Deputie
s withraws its confidence from him individually.
F. Cabinet Resignation, Considering Cabinet Retired, and Dismissal
of Ministers:
1. The cabinet shall be considered retired in the following cases:
a. If its chairman resigns.
b. If it looses more than 1/3 of its members as determined by t he
decree forming it.
c. If its chairman dies.
d. At the beginning of a president's term.
e. At the beginning of the Chamber of Deputies' term.
f. When the Chamber of Deputies withdraws its confidence from i t on
an initiative by the chamber itself and on the basis of a vo te of confidence.
2. A minister shall be relieved by a decree signed by the presiden
t of the republic and the prime minister, with cabinet approval.
3. When the cabinet resigns or is considered retired, the Chamber of
Deputies shall, by law, be considered to be convened in a speci al session
until a new cabinet is formed. A vote-of-confidence ses sion shall follow.
G. Abolition of Political Secterianism: Abolishing political secteria
nism is a fundamental national objective. To achieve it, it is required
that efforts be made in accordance with a phased plan. The Chamber of
D eputies electedon the basis of equal sharing by Christians and Muslims
sha ll adopt the proper measures to achieve this objective and to form
a national council which is headed by the president of the republic
and which includes, in addition to the prime minister and the Chamber
of Deputies speaker, political, intellectual, and social notables. Th
e council's task will be to examine and propose the means capable of
abolishing sectarianism, to present them to the Chamber of Deputie s
and the cabinet, and to observe implementation of the phased plan. The
following shall be done in the interim period:
a. Abolish the sectarian representation base and rely on capabilit
y and specialization in public jobs, the judiciary, the military, sec
urity, public, and joint institutions, and in the independent agencies
in accordance with the dictates of national accord, excluding the top-level
jobs and equivalent jobs which shall be shared equall y by Christians
and Muslims without allocating any particular job to any sect.
b. Abolish the mention of sect and denomination on the identity ca
rd. III. Other Reforms:
A. Administrative Decentralism:
1. The State of Lebanon shall be a single and united state with a s
trong central authority.
2. The powers of the governors and district administrative officers
shall be expanded and all state administartions shall be represented
i n the administrative provinces at the highest level possible so as
to facilitate serving the citizens and meeting their needs locally.
3. The administrative division shall be recognized in a manner that
emphasizes national fusion within the framework of preserving co mmon
coexistance and unity of the soil, people, and institutions.
4. Expanded administrative decentralization shall be adopted at the
level of the smaller administrative units [ district and smaller units
] through the election of a council, headed by the district office r,
in every district, to ensure local participation.
5. A comprehensive and unified development plan capable of developi
ng the provinces economically and socially shall be adopted and the
res ources of the municipalities, unified municipalities, and municipal
uni ons shall be reinforced with the necessary financial resources.
B. Courts:
[1] To guarantee that all officials and citizens are subject to the
supremacy of the law and to insure harmony between the action of the
legislative and executive authorities on the one hand, and the g ivens
of common coexistance and the basic rights of the Lebanese as stipulated
in the constitution on the other hand:
1. The higher council which is stipulated by the constitution and w
hose task it is to try presidents and ministers shall be formed. A sp
ecial law on the rules of trial before this council shall be promulgat
ed.
2. A constitutional council shall be created to interpret the constitution,
to observe the constitutionality of the laws, and to settle disputes
and contests emanating from presidential and parliamentary elections.
3. The following authorities shall be entitled to revise the constitutional
council in matters pertaining to interpreting the constitution and observing
the constitutionality of the laws:
a. The president of the republic. b. The Chamber of Deputies speaker.
c. The prime minister.
d. A certain percentage of members of the Chamber of Deputies.
[2] To ensure the principle of harmony between religion and state,
t he heads of the Lebanese sects may revise the constitutional counci
l in matters pertaining to:
1. Personal status affairs.
2. Freedom of religion and the practice of religious rites.
3. Freedom of religious education.
C. To ensure the judiciary's independence, a certain number of the
the Higher Judiciary Council shall be elected by the judiciary body.
D. Parliamentary Election Law: Parliamentary elections shall be held
i n accordance with a new law on the basis of provinces and in the ligh
t of rules that guarantee common coexistance between the Lebanese, and
t hat ensure the sound and efficient political representation of all
the people's factions and generations. This shall be done after reviewi
ng the administrative division within the context of unity of the people,
the land, and the institutions.
E. Creation of a socioeconomic council for development: A socioeconomi
c council shall be created to insure that representatives of the vari
ous sectors participate in drafting the state's socioeconomic policy
an d providing advice and proposals.
F. Education:
1. Education shall be provided to all and shall be made obligatory
for the elementary stage at least.
2. The freedom of education shall be emphasized in accordance with
general laws and regulations.
3. Private education shall be protected and state control over priv
ate schools and textbooks shall be strengthened.
4. Official, vocational, and technological education shall be refor
med, strengthened, and developed in a manner that meets the country's
development and reconstruction needs. The conditions of the Leba nese
University shall be reformed and aid shall be provided to the university,
especially to its technical colleges.
5. The curricula shall be reviewed and developed in a manner that strengthens
national belonging, fusion, spiritual and cultural openness, and that
unifies textbooks on the subjects of history and national education.
G. Information: All the information media shall be reorganized under
t he canopy of the law and within the framework of responsible liberties
that serve the cautious tendencies and the objective of ending the state
of war. Second, spreading the sovereignty of the State of Lebanon ovel
all Lebane se territories: Considering that all Lebanese factions have
agreed to the establishment of a strong state founded on the basis of
national accord, the national accord government shall draft a detailed
one-year plan whose obj ective is to spread the sovereignty of the State
of Lebanon over all Lebanese territories gradually with the state's
own forces. The broad lines of the plan shall be as follows:
A. Disbanding of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias shall be annou
nced. The militias' weapons shall be delivered to the State of Lebanon
wi thin a period of 6 months, beginning with the approval of the national
a ccord charter. The president of the republic shall be elected. A national
accord cabinet shall be formed, and the political reforms shall be approve
d constitutionally.
B. The internal security forces shall be strengthened through:
1. Opening the door of voluntarism to all the Lebanese without exce
ption, beginning the training of volunteers centrally, distributing
the volunteers to the units in the governorates, and subjecting them
to organized periodic training courses.
2. Strengthening the security agency to insure control over the ent
ry and departure of individuals into and out of the country by land,
ai r, and sea.
C. Strengthening the armed forces:
1. The fundamental task of the armed forces is to defend the homela
nd, and if necessary, protect public order when the danger exceeds the
capability of the internal security forces to deal with such a d anger
on their own.
2. The armed forces shall be used to support the internal security
forces in preserving security under conditions determined by the cabine
t.
3. The armed forces shall be unified, prepared, and trained in orde
r that they may be able to shoulder their national responsibilities
in confronting Israeli aggression.
4. When the internal security forces become ready to assume their s
ecurity tasks, the armed forces shall return to their barracks.
5. The armed forces intelligence shall be reorganized to serve mili
tary objectives exclusively.
D. The problem of the Lebanese evacuees shall be solved fundamentally,
and the right of every Lebanese evicted since 1975 to return to the
pla ce from which he was evicted shall be established. Legistlation
to gua rantee this right and to insure the means of reconstruction shall
be issue d. Considering that the objective of the State of Lebanon is
to spread its authority over all the Lebanese territories through its
own forces, represented primarily by the internal security forces, and
in view of the fraternal relations binding Syria to Lebanon, the Syrian
forces shall thankfully assist the forces of the legitimate Lebanese
government to spread the authority of the State of Lebanon within a
set period of no more than 2 years, beginning with ratification of the
national acco rd charter, election of the president of the republic,
formation of th e national accord cabinet, and approval of the political
reforms constitutionally. At the end of this period, the two governments
-- the Syrian Government and the Lebanese National Accord Government
- - shall decide to redeploy the Syrian forces in Al-Biq'a area from
Da hr al-Baydar to the Hammana-al-Mudayrij-'Ayn Darah line, and if necess
ary, at other points to be determined by a joint Lebanese-Syrian militar
y committee. An agreement shall also be concluded by the two governme
nts to determine the strength and duration of the presence of Syrian
fo rces in the above-mentioned area and to define these forces' relationshi
p with the Lebanese state authorities where the forces exist. The Arab
Tri partite Committee is prepared to assist the two states, if they
so wish, to develop this agreement. Third, liberating Lebanon from the
Israeli occupation: Regaining state au thority over the territories
extending to the internationally-recognized Lebanese borders requires
the following:
A. Efforts to implement resolution 425 and the other UN Security Counc
il resolutions calling for fully eliminating the Israeli occupation.
B. Adherence to the truce agreement concluded on 23 March 1949.
C. Taking all the steps necessary to liberate all Lebanese
territories from the Israeli occupation, to spread state sovereignty
over all the territories, and to deploy the Lebanese army in the border
area adj acent to Israel; and making efforts to reinforce the presence
of the UN f orces in South Lebanon to insure the Israeli withdawl and
to provide the opportunity for the return of security and stability
to the border area. Fourth, Lebanese-Syrian Relations: Lebanon, with
its Arab identity, is ti ed to all the Arab countries by true fraternal
relations. Between Lebanon and S yria there is a special relationship
that derives its strength from the roots of blood relationships, history,
and joint fraternal interests. This is the concept on which the two
countries' coordination and cooperation is founded, and which will be
embodied by the agreements between the two countries in all areas ,
in a manner that accomplishes the two fraternal countries' interests
within th e framework of the sovereignty and independence of each of
them. Therefore, and because strengthening the bases of security creates
the climate needed to develop these bonds, Lebanon should not be allowed
to constitute a source of threat to Syria's security, and Syria should
not be allowed to constitute a source of threat to Lebanon's security
under any circumstances. Consequen tly, Lebanon should not allow itself
to become a pathway or a base for any for ce, state, or organization
seeking to undermine its security or Syria's secur ity. Syria, which
is eager for Lebanon's security, independence, and unity and for harmony
among its citizens, should not permit any act that poses a threat to
Lebanon's security, independence, and sovereignty.
Sources: Chaim
Herzog Center |