BEIRUT: On the eve of its long delayed presidential election, Beirut was in a festive mood as war-weary Lebanese were cautiously jubilant that their country has stepped back from the brink of an all-out civil war. Downtown was buzzing with life again with restaurants, shops and sidewalk cafes reopening for first time in a year and a half.

The upscale downtown, a symbol of Beirut’s rebirth after it was devastated and rebuilt following the 15 year civil war that ended in 1990, had been turned into a virtual ghost town by a Hezbollah-led sit-in for the past 17 months.

The sit-in scared away thousands of Lebanese and foreign tourists and forced the suspension of hundreds of millions of dollars in projects.

The other day though, it was like the political deadlock, which just last week degenerated into bloodshed, had never happened, and the air was filled with smell of Lebanon’s trademark delicious cuisine and the fragrant smoke of water pipes. The restaurants and sidewalk cafes were once again packed as people came to celebrate the revival the district’s revival.

“It’s the Lebanese miracle,” said Elie Karam, 70, a Christian hospital owner, as he sipped his strawberry juice with a retired army general, both looking relaxed and happy. Around them families strolled down the graceful boulevards of the rebuilt 1920s French Mandate-era architecture. “Lebanon is like a phoenix who always rises from the ashes of war,” he added.

The Western-backed government and Hezbollah-led opposition sealed an Arab-mediated agreement on Wednesday that ended a standoff that had paralyzed government and downtown before boiling over into the worst violence since the civil war, leaving at least 67 people dead and at least 200 wounded.

The factions agreed to form a national unity government and on Sunday the parliament will elect a new president six months after the old one stepped down.

The deal was a major victory for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies, who got their long-standing demand for veto power over all government decisions, but most Lebanese just seem happy that the shadow of war has, at least for now, been lifted.“I am hoping for the best,” said Ibrahim Sabbagh, a 66-year-old retired general who marveled at the speed with which life was returning to normal just days after the streets shook with gunfire and rocket blasts.

Nearby Margaret Gerges, an attractive 23-year-old in a revealing dress, daintily puffed on her water pipe as she played cards with friends a sign that at least for now the conservative Hezbollah politicians did not fully rule the streets.

“This is Lebanon, the land of surprises,” she said with a smile. “Lebanon will never die. I am strongly optimistic that the Doha agreement will pave the way for a final solution to the political crisis.”

Already it appears that the economy, battered by violence and uncertainty, is on the upswing. The stock market is up and, according to tourism officials, 750,000 Lebanese expatriates have booked their summer vacations in Lebanon.

“Hundreds of Arab and foreign investors are preparing to return with their money to Lebanon after they were searching for a secure place,” Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said in a statement after chairing his Cabinet’s last meeting.

Sunday’s election by parliament of army commander Gen Michel Suleiman as president, it is hoped, will add further momentum to normalcy and he has pledged to strengthen “reconciliation and understanding” among rival factions.

“Lebanon is a country that deserves much from us. The Lebanese are a people who enjoy life. They have always proved that they are stronger than crises and pitfalls to which they have been subjected and for which they have paid blood, tears and sacrifices,” An-Nahar newspaper quoted Suleiman as saying Saturday.

“We have a big challenge ahead of us,” he added.

That challenge has been especially felt by the restaurateurs in downtown, who are finally seeing a glimmer of hope for their besieged establishments for the first time since the crisis began in December 2006.

“The (opposition’s) sit-in has forced some 40 restaurants to close temporarily and pushed 30 others out of business,” Paul Ariss, president of the restaurant owners’ association, said. He estimated that downtown lost more than $350 million (euro222 million) worth of business during the crisis.

So far, though, 40 of the 104 downtown restaurants have reopened, and he is confident that the number would double in the next few days.

Ariss said he was happy now that downtown district was getting back to normal but had a few words to Lebanese leaders: “Solve your political differences to help the country recover. The Lebanese want to live in peace and prosperity.”

—AP