A fire engine sprays the ground due to be walked by Mr Annan before he arrives, lest he gets a speck of dust in his eye. I have to say that I find the sight of Beirut’s brave firefighters doing this quite offensive. These were the men and women who gave their lives during the war. Their resources could never cope with the Israeli onslaught yet they performed above and beyond the call of duty. Now they are demeaned to laying a watery carpet for the person who failed to protect them and their country.

A crowd has gathered around the cordoned area by the time the convoy arrives. Mr Annan emerges from his limo with the Lebanese Prime Minister. In a split second there is a deafening chorus of booing and hundreds of Hassan Nassrallah placards appear. The level of organization in this area is awesome. Within seconds the entourage and its security are surrounded by 2-300 angry, yet disciplined demonstrators chanting and waving placards. The delegation is now surrounded by a backdrop of resistance banners and slogans. I can’t help thinking that this is not what the UN media team had in mind. The security who are composed of the UN’s special suits, Lebanese special forces and Lebanese National Security guards begin to panic. After about five seconds the walkabout has become an undignified scrum that limps, for what seems like an eternity, about 100 yards. Then it’s into their waiting vehicles to be whisked away at some considerable speed. The crowd jeers at them and give the victory sign as they leave. Nearby the aforementioned firefighters watch the proceedings with huge grins on their faces.