Lebanon
Beirut, August 30:
The Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law (CDRL) of Beirut, Lebanon,
has today called on the international community of nations for urgent
action in response to the rapidly unfolding events in Lebanon that provide
further irrefutable evidence of two facts threatening World order:
A.
The fact that
Lebanon
has no free government or indeed any government in the true and modern
sense of the word. For the mere ability to exercise coercion, in the total
absence of the rule of law, liberty and democracy, does not make a
government.
B.
The fact that Syrian
domination, and military occupation, of Lebanon continues unchecked,
appreciably compounding and worsening the national ills from which the
nation already suffer, such as the aggression on Lebanon’s national
constitutional sovereignty by the competing sovereignties of religious
establishments, feudal lords who masquerade as politicians, special
interest groups, professional associations, and armed militias, in an
atmosphere of undisguised and shameless corruption and climbing and
merciless poverty.
Here is a short summary
of the events that unfolded so far:
1.
On Thursday, August
26, “Premier” Rafic Hariri and Parliament “Speaker” Nabih Berri were
reported to have called on Syrian President Bashar Assad in
Damascus
on his invitation. It was also reported that they received instructions as
to a proposed amendment of the Lebanese constitution to permit the
extension of Mr. Emile Lahoud’s term of “office” as “president” of
Lebanon.
2.
On the way back from
Damascus,
each of Hariri and Berri called on Syrian Brigadier Rustum Ghazaleh, head
of the
Lebanon
station of the Syrian Moukhabarat, the equivalent of the Soviet
KGB, at his official command post in the Syrian army command compound at
the Lebanese town of
Anjar,
in the Bikaa, to receive more detailed briefings.
3.
On Friday, August
27, late in the evening, Hariri was summoned to Anjar again where he
received his final briefing from Ghazaleh. This was officially on the news
the following morning.
4.
On Saturday, August
28, the “Cabinet” was suddenly convened at 10:AM. After a short session
of ten minutes duration, it approved a draft bill calling for a
constitutional amendment extending Lahoud’s “term” by three years and
effectively canceling the “presidential” elections due to take place in
October. Simultaneously, Lahoud and Hariri jointly signed a decree
recalling parliament to a special session starting Monday, August 30. No
time was allowed for the publication of the decree or the proposed
amendment in the Official Gazette as required by law.
CDRL believes that the
threat to local, regional and World order clearly evidenced by the current
crisis does not merely arise from the extension of Lahoud’s term but, much
more so, fundamentally and structurally, from the absence of a free
Lebanese government in the full sense of the word and the endless Syrian
domination and military occupation of
Lebanon.
These matters are not only up to the Lebanese people to deal with on their
own, but also fall within the responsibility of the international
community. CDRL calls upon the international community to demonstrate its
firm support for a comprehensive and sovereign Lebanese agenda to uphold
the very basic democratic and human rights obligations, values and
safeguards that, together, make the essential precondition for the
achievement of liberty, modernity and prosperity in today’s World.
Each of the recipients
and readers of this release is kindly called upon to forward the same to
the legislators, members of the cabinet especially the foreign minister,
and the prime minister and/or the president of his country. Forwarding, to
the largest number of people in politics, in the media and the academia,
for further publication or distribution, will also be greatly appreciated
