For the first time in decades we witness Lebanon taking a position so diametrically opposed to that of Syria in the UN. For the first time in decades a spokesperson from the Lebanese Foreign Ministry relays to the UN body, the Security Council, what the Lebanese people want, representing the true official line of his country.
Don't we remember the days when it did not matter what the Lebanese delegation in the UN said; all it took was to listen to the Syrian side to deduce Lebanon's official foreign policy line?
What I saw yesterday was a country, our beloved Lebanon, refusing to be cast in the shadows, as it has been for so long; refusing to remain in the darkness of regimes upholding murder, fear, and intimidation.
On another point, it's funny how the arguments of the Syrian ambassador to the UN, Muqdad, were so weak and can be easily shot down. For one, he claims that it is despicable how Mehlis argues in his report that because the Syrian intelligence apparatus maintains control over Lebanon, the Syrian intelligence apparatus is definitely implicated in Hariri's murder. He goes on to use examples of the September 11 bombing in New York and the Madrid bombings to show that the respective countries' intelligence services were not implicated in the bombings.
Well, I say to Muqdad (and trust me, I wish I was a journalist), at least in the US, after the September 11 tragedy, a probe was conducted which showed loopholes in the operations of the intelligence services and based on that these services were held accountable and the probe was published for public consumption (I'm sure you've read it).
Muqdad, yes we thank the Syrian regime and the brave Syrian soldiers and the Syrian people for giving us a helping hand in 1975. But this argument does not mean that your intelligence apparatus and even President should make or break our policies, make or break our leaders, make or break our future. There is no logic in the arguments you posed.
And more, who were you fooling when you said that both Syria and Lebanon are "independent" countries? No, Lebanon was never independent! Do you think that the Lebanese watching you will not roll their eyes? That the other UN ambassadors sitting before you will not know that what you said is untrue? Lebanon is not independent, neither from your country nor from Israel (for that matter). Your country is even unwilling to provide proof to the UN to show whether the Shebaa Farms is Lebanese or not; because if you cooperate, we can resolve this pending issue diplomatically, spare death and strife, and regain our independence.
Then you claim that the report was influenced by the political sentiments that ensued after Hariri's death. Well, I say, why not? What were these sentiments? That we want to be free? That we're saying ENOUGH of the same thing? That this time around we won't accept getting a bulldozer to cover up the evidence and move on with business as usual? Yes, of course the report came about because the Lebanese themselves have asked to learn the truth, have asked for an international probe; this is why the report came about.
And lastly you say that Mehlis should not have pointed fingers at anyone, because the report is not final. I say to you Mr. Muqdad: then what is Mehlis supposed to say in the report? Just empty rhetoric and words? I believe then you'd be more emboldened to say that the report IS empty. And you claim that Mehlis should not have come to the conclusion that the Syrian intelligence apparatus is implicated because the report is work-in-progress. I say, "c'mon" Mr. Muqdad, give me a break here, it's clear in the report who is involved in the planning, staging, and committing of the 14 February massacre. All what Mehlis needs is more time to patch up the gaps in the report, such as putting the final touches on the Abu Adass story, on the Ahbash involvement, on how the bombing took place, and so on....He does not need more time to figure out what parties are involved in the murder. I mean, aren't the four Lebanese "generals" in prison already?
This is my piece of mind. Again, I wish I was a journalist; I would have asked all the questions that lurk in my mind; at least I would have gotten some answers.
"Nobody knows how many rebellions, besides political rebellions, ferment in the masses of life which people earth."
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3 comments:
doha,
Syria was a party to the Lebanese conflict, not an innocent peace-keeper/maker - let's not forget that. As for Israel, it is true that we are formally in a state of war with that country, but I do not understand why you would say that we are controlled by Israel in a similar fashion to the way Syria controlled us less than a year ago.
finally, as for Muqdad's comparison of 9/11 to the Hariri murder, I'll take your argument one step further: The United States is not CONTROLED by its security apparatus. Despite all the paranoia in this country about freedoms and rights of privacy, the FBI, CIA and other apparatuses come no where near the Syrian mukhabarat with regards to controling or knowing about every single aspect of peoples' lives. In such an atmosphere, it is impossible to accumulate 500 to 1000 kgs of TNT in a country as small as Lebanon without drawing attention to yourself. Let us also not forget that the "genius" of the 9/11 attacks was that the murderers turned a completely benign object (trasport planes) into lethal weapons - hence not drawing any attention to themselves.
"or one, he claims that it is despicable how Mehlis argues in his report that because the Syrian intelligence apparatus maintains control over Lebanon, the Syrian intelligence apparatus is definitely implicated in Hariri's murder. He goes on to use examples of the September 11 bombing in New York and the Madrid bombings to show that the respective countries' intelligence services were not implicated in the bombings."
What a fucking lier! In the US there isn't an FBI or CIA agent behind every citizen. You can't compare the situation. I know 4 buildings belonging to the Syrian forces in the area.
"Muqdad, yes we thank the Syrian regime and the brave Syrian soldiers and the Syrian people for giving us a helping hand in 1975. But this argument does not mean that your intelligence apparatus and even President should make or break our policies, make or break our leaders, make or break our future. There is no logic in the arguments you posed."
No we don't. You're joking? Syria armed the Palestinians and infiltrated them to Lebanon. They wanted to destabilize the country since the 60's.
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