UN, Bush and Kerry tell Syrian to End Occupation of Lebanon

The United Nations Security Council:

UN Security Council issued  Resolution No. 1559 that calls for the Syrian regime to pull its occupation troops from Lebanon and to quit its interfering in Lebanese internal affairs. it calls also for "the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias."

President George Bush:

“The Bush Administration showed great strength of leadership in garnering the support of France, Germany, and other key members of the U.N. Security Council to obtain passage of this resolution,” said Tony Haddad, president of the Lebanese American Council for Democracy.  “The resolution is right on point in demanding that all foreign forces be immediately withdrawn from Lebanon, that all militias be disbanded, and that no outside force interfere in Lebanon’s elections.”

John Kerry:

Senator John Kerry released the following statement today:

“I strongly support the new UN Security Council resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, free and fair elections without interference from Syria, and the disbanding of all armed militias. At a time when the Lebanese people are trying to come together and heal the wounds of years of civil war, it is especially important to protect the independence of Lebanon and bolster public confidence in the sanctity of the constitution. Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs is unacceptable, and only serves to reverse some of the modest steps Lebanon has taken to rebuild itself and its state institutions.

“Like all people in the Middle East and around the world, the Lebanese people are entitled to a life of liberty and peace, free of external dominance and terrorism. We should work to restore the confidence of the many in the region who share our values and have lost faith in our intentions over the past four years. By leading the effort to allow Lebanon to realize these aims and energizing our attempts to spread peace and democracy in the region, we can take an important step in this direction.”

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The Syrian army occupies most of Lebanon, including the main airport. It harbors and all vital agencies with 25,000 troops and about 20,000 intelligence agents. Syria detains hundreds of Lebanese in its prisons without charges, and refuses to implement UN Security Council resolution No. 520 (of 1982) and No. 1559 (2004) that calls for pullout of non-Lebanese troops from Lebanon.

Lebanon was one of the very few democracies in the entire Middle East with a constitution that goes back to 1926. Today, being occupied by the Syrian regime for the past 28 years, Lebanon lost its major features of democracy and human rights.

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