Hussein Husseini, father of peace deal that ended Lebanon’s civil war, dies

Hussein Husseini, a former parliament speaker waves his hand as he leaves the parliament building after he announced he was quitting his parliamentary seat to protest an Arab-brokered deal that produced a Cabinet of opposing factions, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
Hussein Husseini, a former parliament speaker waves his hand as he leaves the parliament building after he announced he was quitting his parliamentary seat to protest an Arab-brokered deal that produced a Cabinet of opposing factions, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Hussein Husseini, Lebanon’s former parliament speaker and the father of the 1989 Taif Agreement that ended the country’s 15-year civil war, dies after days of illness. He was 85.

Husseini was admitted to Beirut’s American University Medical Center on Jan. 3, after suffering from a severe flu, the state-run National News Agency says. NNA adds that Husseini remained in the intensive care unit until his death this morning.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared a three-day mourning period in the crisis-hit Lebanon while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri postponed a session that was scheduled to take place on Thursday to elect a new president.

Husseini was elected to parliament representing the northeastern Baalbek-Hermel region in 1972 and remained a legislator until 2008. He was elected as parliament speaker in 1984, a job that he kept until 1992.

The politician was a harsh critic of Lebanon’s sectarian-based political system that divided top posts in the country of 5 million between Christian and Muslim communities. Husseini was also a strong vocal opponent of the country’s financial policies, including heavy borrowing, that started in the 1990s and eventually led to Lebanon’s ongoing three-year economic meltdown.

Born to a prominent Shiite family in the town of Shmistar in the eastern Bekaa Valley in April 1937, Husseini enjoyed wide respect among many Lebanese — especially for his defense of civil rights and for not being involved in widespread corruption among the country’s political class.

Most Popular