USCFL- Action Alert March 30, 2001

United States Committee for a Free Lebanon Logo

March 30, 2001

U.S Committee for a Free Lebanon Action Alert http://www.freelebanon.org/

To: Friends of Lebanon around the World

Ask President George W. Bush to make the removal of Syrian forces from Lebanon the centerpiece of Middle East policies.

It is the goal of the USCFL to keep our members aware of what is happening in Lebanon and to use our influence among the governments of the world to allow the people of Lebanon the right to govern itself freely.

Our friends in Lebanon should not be alone in their fight against Syria. Let us show the whole world what we are capable of doing to thwart Syria's takeover of our beloved country.

Talking Points:

While the U.S. continues its bombing campaign against Iraq for an invasion and occupation of Kuwait that ended a decade ago, American taxpayers continue to subsidize with foreign aid another Middle East regime that maintains brutal control over a neighboring country.

Since 1976, Syrian military, security and intelligence forces have occupied Lebanon and held it captive to the interests of Damascus. Some 35,000 Syrian troops deny Lebanon -- one of only two Middle East nations with a recent history of republican self-government -- its sovereignty and freedom. In addition to the military force, Syria has encouraged the emigration of some 1 million of its citizens to Lebanon, straining the economy and altering the demographics of the country. Under Syrian control, Lebanon has become a haven for terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Osama bin Laden's organization. It has become a major producer of heroin and other drugs. Syrian domination has resulted in the worst imaginable human rights abuses. People just disappear off the streets. Lebanon once boasted the freest press in the Middle East.

Today, it's gone, replaced by official and semi-official voices only. For years Syria used the presence of Israeli troops in southern Lebanon as an excuse to maintain its own armed forces in the country. Last year, Israel withdrew the last of its forces from Lebanon. Syria has run out of excuses --and that's all they ever were. What justification is there for this continuing hegemony over a peaceful neighboring state? We hear much about United Nations resolutions in discussions of Middle East problems. We don't put much stock in the U.N. or its resolutions, but why is it that we hear so little about Security Council Resolution 520, unanimously passed Sept. 17, 1982, calling for the evacuation of all non-Lebanese forces from the nation?

Lebanon was once governed by a delicate balance of Christians and Muslims. The one thing they had in common was they were Lebanese. Under Syrian control, Christians are pitted against Muslims, and Sunnis are pitted against Shi'ites. It's the old divide-and-conquer strategy.

So, what's the solution? Should the U.S. use military force as it has in Iraq? Absolutely not. The continuing military campaign against Iraq is a mistake -- a counterproductive and wholly unconstitutional effort that should be ended at once. But the U.S. wields a great deal of influence. It even sends military aid to the faux Lebanese government.

It's time for a complete break with the old policies. It's time to get tough with Syria.

The Free Lebanese opposition is speaking out more visibly and forcefully than ever before. It must be encouraged, incubated and protected.

Christian Maronite Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir visited the United States earlier this month, speaking out boldly in defense of oppressed Christians who are being tortured and murdered under Syria's watch. He sought meetings with President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell but was strangely rebuffed on the recommendation of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and other diplomatic advisers in Washington. Why? That is a shame. That is an embarrassment. That is a disgrace.

Cardinal Sfeir is, indeed, the most visible and outspoken critic of the Syrian presence in his homeland, but his agenda is hardly radical or controversial. He simply calls for Syria to fulfill the terms of the Taif Agreement in 1989, requiring Syria to leave Lebanon.

This man is a hero. He should have been welcomed into Washington with a red carpet and a ticker-tape parade. Instead, he was turned away, because the Washington political establishment didn't want to alienate Damascus. The time for appeasement is over. Free people the world over should recognize by now that such policies never achieve the desired results.

Syria's illegal occupation of Lebanon needs to be moved center stage in the international debate.

Here's our simple agenda for Washington:

President Bush, we urge you to:

1. Openly call for an end to Syrian occupation of Lebanon;

2. Immediately end all aid to Damascus and its satellite regime in Beirut;

3. Use all of your diplomatic powers to keep this issue alive and make the removal of Syrian forces from Lebanon the centerpiece of Middle East policies.

Thanks for your attention.

The USCFL Task Force
http://www.freelebanon.org/

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