CLAO
Founded in 1989 to
serve the USA and Lebanon.
THE COUNCIL OF LEBANESE AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS
E-mail: clao@clao.com
1-888-4 CLAO 89 Internet: www.clao.com
September 03,
2004
PR 040903
The
Syrian & The Syrian-Installed Lebanese Regimes Defy UN Security Council
Resolution 1559
On September 3,
2004, the Syrian and the Syrian-installed Lebanese regimes went ahead with
the illegal 3-year extension to the Syrian imposed puppet Lebanese
“president” Lahoud, in defiance to the UN Security Council Resolution 1559
that was adopted on September 2, 2004. Both regimes declared that the
term extension to Lahoud is a Lebanese matter and that the resolution’s
call for the withdrawal of all foreign forces out of Lebanon is only
related to Israel and not Syria! The adopted illegal extension to Lahoud
was done in the mildest of a curfew, while thousands of agents of the
Syrian intelligence and units of the Lebanese army filled the streets of
Beirut, harassing and kidnapping dozens of civilians. Reports from the
opposition groups have indicated that the authorities are picking up their
members, fearing further human right violations.
Firstly, the
Council of Lebanese American Organizations (CLAO) is thankful to the U.S.
and to all other UN Security Council members that have voted in favor of
resolution 1559. CLAO has repeatedly stated that Lebanon and the Lebanese
have suffered for so long under the brutal Syrian occupation. Resolution
1559 is a giant step towards liberating Lebanon and towards ending the
suffering.
Secondly, the
Syrian and Lebanese-installed regime’s attitude toward the resolution do
not surprise CLAO or anyone who is sufficiently aware of the Lebanese
situation. The Syrian regime does not consider itself as an occupier since
it considers Lebanon as its proxy. The corrupt Syrian-installed Lebanese
regime individuals are fully aware that Syria is the occupier of Lebanon
but they are also aware that they owe their positions to their Syrian
masters. Therefore, it is naive for anyone to imagine that the installed
would ever request from the installer to return sovereignty to a nation
where its oppressed people look forward to holding both accountable.
Moreover, it is understandable for the Syrians and their Lebanese
surrogates to adopt an attitude claiming that the issue of extending the
term of the “president” is an internal matter. However, it is even far
more naive for anyone else to claim that such an issue is related to the
Lebanese internal affairs. Furthermore, it is far beyond naivety to expect
for the corrupt oppressive Syrian-installed regime to ever request a
Syrian withdrawal. Syria is an occupier that has paralyzed the democratic
institutions of Lebanon. Syria has long sought, and directly and
deliberately created, instability in Lebanon. This has been its main
justification for its intervention and occupation of its small but more
prosperous neighbor. Syria remains a stalwart proponent of Stalinist-era
State-controlled economy, while Lebanon has had a long history of liberal
entrepreneurial free-market economy.
Thirdly, CLAO
believes that the Syrian and Syrian-installed regimes’ defiance of UN
Security Council resolution 1559 will not be overlooked by the free world,
and soon the violators will be held accountable. On the other hand, CLAO
urges the Syrian regime to seriously consider obeying resolution 1559,
which will prove helpful to Syria and Lebanon. Furthermore, CLAO advises
the Syrian dictator regime to consider abandoning the Ba’ath totalitarian
doctrine altogether. Instead of fighting against and standing in the way
of peace in the Middle East, CLAO strongly recommends that such regime
learns from the democratization efforts underway in Iraq and does its
utmost to implement similar measures in Syria, while bringing to an end
the process of annexing Lebanon and therefore abandoning the Greater Syria
dream. It is most probable that the U.S. and the rest of the free world
will eventually help the Syrian people achieve a free and democratic Syria.
After all, the Syrian people have been suffering for too long under the
Syrian Ba’ath party. Massacres, terror, and oppression that the Syrian and
the occupied Lebanese have experienced at the hands of the brutal Syrian
regime are unwise and unethical. There are better ways to rule a nation.
CLAO believes that if the Syrian dictator does not embrace change, the
forces of freedom will overwhelm its outdated regime. Hence, the Syrian
Ba’athist regime’s fate could end up earning the same as that of the
deposed Iraqi Ba’athist’s neighbor.
