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Beirut : After three years of back-to-back crises, assassinations and war, this divided country has a window of stability, and the Lebanese are jumping at the chance to party again.
Tourists are flooding back in, summer festivals have revved up, and restaurants and resorts are packed only months after the small Arab nation was thought to be on the brink of civil war and eventual breakup.
"We're on fire," said Osta Abu Rejaili, mayor of the mountain resort town of Bhamdoun. Perhaps rarely for Lebanon, he means that in a good way: Bhamdoun is crowded with thousands of tourists from Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE drawn by its cool summer air.
"I've been mayor for 10 years and we haven't seen anything like this."
The buoyant mood follows what looked like Lebanon's darkest hour. In May, pro-Syrian Hezbollah fighters overran Sunni neighbourhoods, defeating armed supporters of the pro-Western government in street battles. It appeared three years of power struggle between the two sides could lead to a slide into civil war again.
Instead, the two sides hammered out a political agreement, mediated by Qatar, that created a unity government with greater power for Hezbollah.
The unity government ensures that Syria, a top US rival in the region, retains a say in Lebanon's politics and that Hezbollah can keep its weapons.
But at the moment, most average Lebanese don't care who came out on top. They're just enjoying the peace.
"Frankly, I can't stand listening to them speak anymore," said Nathalie Demirdjian, a sales executive at a Beirut eyewear boutique. "It's dirty politics. They don't care about the people and all they care about is their interests."
In the once-empty downtown streets near the square, cafes are full of men and women at umbrella-topped tables dining, drinking and smoking waterpipes, entertained by oud players. The Lebanese are enjoying life again - and making money.
In June and July, nearly half a million passengers flew into Beirut airport, compared to about 300,000 for the same period last year.
George Murad, a Lebanese telecommunications executive who works in Brazil but regularly returns home, noted many in Beirut are convinced the calm is only temporary. "So," he added, "people want to enjoy it while it lasts."
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