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Minister
Pettigrew must call on Syria to end illegal occupation of Lebanon
and
support for terror: CCD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, 9 February 2005, Toronto, ON – On his first trip to the Middle
East, Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew will travel to
Syrian-occupied Lebanon on Thursday and then onto Damascus, Syria on
Friday and Saturday.
“As the representative of the Canadian people, Minister Pettigrew has a
moral and geopolitical obligation to promote Canadian values including
democracy, human rights, and an end to terrorism on his visit to Lebanon
and Syria,” said Alastair Gordon, president, Canadian Coalition for
Democracies (CCD).
Since 1990, Syria has illegally occupied Lebanon. Despite UN Resolution
1559 calling on Syria to end its occupation of Lebanon, the Baathist
Syrian regime continues to station over 14,000 troops on Lebanese soil and
to control its puppet government in Beirut.
Unlike most Western democracies, including Britain, France, Australia, the
United States and most European nations, Canada has failed to clearly
support UN Resolution 1559 calling for the end of Syrian occupation of
Lebanon. Canada continues to lend credibility to Syria and the
Syrian-installed regime in Lebanon. Lebanon has never posed a military
threat to Syria, or otherwise justified Syrian occupation of its sovereign
territory. Under Syrian occupation, tens of thousands of Lebanese
Christians have been killed, marginalized or forced into exile.
“As a Canadian, I am ashamed that Prime Minister Paul Martin and Minister
Pettigrew are legitimizing the Syrian regime in Beirut and the presence of
Syrian troops in Lebanon,” said Naresh Raghubeer, executive director, CCD.
"Canada took the commendable step of outlawing Hezbollah as a terrorist
organization in Canada. We must therefore not lend our credibility to the
Syrian regime, Hezbollah's major backer."
“Prime Minister Paul Martin and Minister Pettigrew should do the right
thing and publicly support UN Resolution 1559, while ending moral and
financial support of the Syrian-installed government in Lebanon,” said
Raghubeer. “Instead of providing foreign aid to a dictatorial regime
illegally occupying a sovereign nation, Canada should work through
Lebanese NGOs to promote sovereignty, human rights, democracy and rule of
law.”
"Syria has been listed many times over as state promoter of terrorism in
Israel, Lebanon, Iraq and across the Middle East. Minister Pettigrew must
send a strong message that Canada does not support Syria’s promotion of
terrorism and its occupation of Lebanon,” said Gordon. “If Prime Minister
Paul Martin and Minister Pettigrew want Canada to be an ‘honest broker’ in
the Middle East peace process, they must identify and confront the real
supporters of illegal occupation and terrorism, and end the appeasement of
dictators.”
For additional information, please contact:
Alastair Gordon
President
Canadian Coalition for Democracies
PO Box 72602
345 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON M4W 3J0 Canada
Web: http://CanadianCoalition.com
Tel: 416-486-8784
Cell: 416-809-5561
Cell: 416-452-6957
Fax: 360-294-2839
Email:
admin@CanadianCoalition.com |
