Lebanon Needs New UN Resolution Under Chapter Seven of UN Charter

The LCCC welcomes the final communiqué of the Francophonie summit issued on Friday September 29/06 in Bucharest, Romania, after two days of extensive
discussions in which twenty-two heads of state, eleven prime ministers and thirty six foreign ministers participated.

As citizens of francophone Canada and hailing from francophone Lebanon, we wish to register the following concerns and suggestions:

1- It would have been more helpful and more reassuring for the Lebanese people if the final summit communiqué had called unambiguously and without hesitation for an immediate amendment of UN Resolution 1701 that would place it under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter. Such an amendment has become a must for the success of UNIFIL's deterrent mission in South Lebanon. The numerous incidents encountered on a daily basis in South Lebanon over the past few weeks have made all those genuinely concerned about Lebanon's future as an independent and sovereign State that is free from terrorist organizations and militias realize that the current mandate of UNIFIL's mission under Chapter Six is ambivalent, complex and very risky.

2- It would have been less time consuming and more productive if representatives of both Egypt and Lebanon had spared the participants the posturing of
Dhimmis and the patterns of rhetoric discourse that are typical of all Arab official meetings, especially those held by the Arab league. They should have known
that narrow, discriminatory and self-serving approaches cannot be accepted by free world countries, and that civilians, regardless of their nationality, must not be targeted in any military conflict.

3- We hail our Canadian PM, Mr. Harper, for his clear vision and determination in regards to the ongoing global fight against terrorism and countries that harbor, finance and support terrorists. We also commend him for his strong commitment to a stable, fair and lasting peace in Lebanon and the whole Middle East and call on him to remain steadfast in his endeavors.

4- The LCCC offers its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of our Canadian soldiers who gave their lives in Afghanistan to safeguard peace all
over the world and help the needy. May God bless their souls and grant them eternal rest.

For the LCCC
Elias Bejjani/Chairman
Charbel Barakat/Political Advisor
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*The lccc is a Federal umbrella for the following nonprofit municipal, provincial and federal Canadian registered groups:
 Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation,  (CLHRF),  Canadian Lebanese Free Patriotic Movement (FPM-Canada), Phoenician Club of Mississauga (PCOM),/Canadian Phoenician Community Services Club (CPCSC),Canadian Lebanese Christian Heritage Club (CLCHC),World Lebanese Cultural Union (WLCU)-Canadian Chapter.