![](tonyhaddad.jpg) ![](../../bilder/logo/Read_more.gif)
The truth is that the
Syrian and Lebanese governments
Tony
Haddad
Frequently over
the past four years, many media reports, particularly those coming out of
Syrian and Syrian-dominated Lebanese outlets, have taken potshots at the
Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act by
referring to it as an anti Arab Bill which was introduced by the Israeli
lobby and pushed forward on behalf of Israeli interests. Syrian and
Lebanese authorities have also attempted to downplay the impact of the
bill by saying that it would have no impact on Syria nor on its grip over
Lebanon. It is time
now that the truth be told.
The
truth is that the Syrian and Lebanese governments, as well as many in the
Syrian and Lebanese media, know and have always known that the Syria
Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act was the fruit
of a relentless four-year lobbying effort by the Lebanese Americans,
specifically the Lebanese American Council for Democracy (
www.la-cd.org
), written
with intensive consultation of the LACD, and introduced by Congressmen who
are strongly supported by Lebanese Americans. Congress was lobbied
relentlessly by Lebanese Americans; lobbied so hard, in fact, that nearly
every Representative and Senator fro! m every corner of America was
contacted by Lebanese American constituents, knew that this was a Lebanese
effort, and voted in favor of the legislation. The White House was
lobbied equally as hard; so hard, in fact, that the White House was forced
due to overwhelming pressure from Congress and from Lebanese Americans to
reverse its position on the bill. Yet, the Syrian and Lebanese
governments and media outlets, totally cognizant of these facts, have
chosen to turn a blind eye to the truth, and have repeatedly reported that
“Israelis” were the driving force behind this effort; even now, the
majority of media outlets refer to this landmark legislation as the “Syria
Punishment Act” instead of its true name, the Syria Accountability and
Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act (SALSRA). Semantics aside, the
true me! aning of these facts is that when Lebanese people were permitted
to speak their minds freely—in America as opposed to in Lebanon—their
voice, from every corner of America, was loud and clear: Syria must be
held accountable, and Lebanon must be freed from Syria’s grip.
Syrian and
Lebanese politicians and journalists also frequently claim that the new
legislation poses no real threat to Syria nor to its domination of
Lebanon. When the law was introduced in Congress, they brushed it off as
having no “teeth.” When it was re-introduced the following year, they
kept up their façade of imperviousness. And their phony confidence
continued as Lebanese Americans pushed the law through both Houses of
Congress and the White House. Now, with last week’s imposition of
sanctions through a presidential Executive Order, the full impact of these
sanctions is about to smack Syria and Syria’s puppets in Lebanon directly
in the face. Th! ey are about to be bitten by those same “teeth” which
their rhetoric claims do not exist. They are about to find that the
SALSRA is the most powerful tool thus far for the Liberation of
Lebanon.
Syrian and
Lebanese government figures should pay particular attention to Section
3(A)(ii) of the Executive Order of the President of the United States
which States:
Sec. 3. (a) … all
property and interests in property of the following persons, that are in
the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that
are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States
persons, including their overseas branches, are blocked and may not be
transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in: persons
who are determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with
the Secretary of State, (ii) to be or to have been directing or
otherwise significantly contributing to the Government of Syria's military
or security presence in Lebanon;
A close reading of this provision makes clear that as
of now, today, any person or entity—Syrian, Lebanese, American, or
otherwise—that is or has been significantly contributing to the Syrian
occupation of Lebanon is subject to a total freeze on whatever American
assets that person or entity has. This provision should send shudders
down the spine of virtually every Syrian puppet in Lebanon, from the top
of the puppet government to the bottom. Any statement that promotes the
occupation, any action taken which supports the occupation, can and will
be used to freeze that person’s American assets.
Let everyone be forewarned that those same Lebanese
Americans who achieved the SALSRA have taken it upon themselves to
form a watchdog committee of legal professionals and volunteers to
continuously monitor, document and report every statement or action in
support of the continued Syrian military presence in Lebanon. It is the
intention of these Lebanese Americans to pursue every avenue available in
the American legal system to see to it that the executive order is fully
enforced and that the assets of those contributing to the Syrian military
presence in Lebanon are permanently frozen.
It has also been frequently said in the media outlets
that the sanctions will be ineffective because Syria will use Lebanon and
Lebanese companies and banks to do its work. But any such company or bank
should be forewarned: The executive order is clear that any person or
entity that helps circumvent any of the sanctions will be subject to the
same sanctions. According to the “toothless” SALSRA law, any bank
that is be used by the Syrians to circumvent the sanctions will have its
assets frozen and will be put on the same list as the Syrian Bank and the
Syrian Lebanese Commercial Bank.
The time has come for every official in the Lebanese
puppet government to make a choice. They can either continue their
support for the Syrian presence in Lebanon, and thus face the same
consequences as the Syrians themselves, or, they must fundamentally change
course and start building for a free, independent, and prosperous Lebanon.
Let this massive achievement be a message not only to
Syria and its Lebanese puppets that the time for change has come, but let
it also be a message to the Lebanese people that working for your rights
is the only way to achieve them. For every Lebanese American who
obsessively campaigned for the SALSRA, there were 100 nay-sayers
who insisted that the SALSRA would never happen, instead of asking
“how can I help?”. The historic achievement of the SALSRA and the
President’s Executive Order shows the power of the Lebanese Americans, and
with more and more help and support, and more positive thinking, the
impact that we can make is limitless.
Tony
Haddad
President
Lebanese American Council for Democracy
601 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Suite 900 South Building
Washington DC 20004
Tel: (202) 220-3039 |