Emile Boustany


Emile Boustany was a Lebanese military general who served as the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces from 1 July 1965 until 6 January 1970.

Biography

Boustany was born in Jounieh to a poor Lebanese family. He served as a commander with the rank of general in the Lebanese Armed Forces from 1 July 1965 to 6 January 1970.
Boustany went to Egypt in 1969 and drafted the Cairo Accord, which allowed the Palestinian Liberation Organization to establish bases in Lebanon and conduct operations against Israel independent of the Lebanese army. It is said that Egyptian President Nasser was pleasantly surprised to see the degree of concession offered to him - at the time Egypt had a strong say in electing the Lebanese president.
In 1973, he was named the primary suspect in a bribery scandal within the Lebanese Army related to arms transactions. He fled to Syria where he was granted asylum by Hafez al-Assad. From Syria, he helped to subvert Saeb Salam's government.
Boustany's daughter, Loubna, married Jean Obeid.

Awards and honors