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Established to promote a lasting peace between Lebanon, Israel, and Syria. |
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The Reality of Fighting Terror "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." The United States is failing in the process of fighting terrorism by trying to compromise the fight with radical Islam and is searching for a mutually, acceptable form of political rapprochement with which to pacify this unyielding and uncompromising philosophy. This is the dangerous development with which Crown Prince Abdullah attempted to sway the United States administration in his visit. While Europe is criticizing the United States war on terrorism, for political purposes to justify its political and financial independence from the United States, Saudi Arabia intervened at the wrong moment, pressuring Washington to contain Israel's success in curbing terrorism, as the Middle East terrorist momentum pushes the dynamic of events on a different track than the Saudi peace initiative. To the contrary, the Islamist terror groups and supporting regimes received undeserved support in the terror fight against the United States because of Saudi Arabia's charade of pretending to support a war against terror. This was clearly demonstrated during the Lebanese conflict when the Saudis supported the TAEF Accords that led up to Syria's illegal occupation of Lebanon that became the home of most of today's major terror organizations. The Saudi influence has weakened and been augmented by a growing and stronger Iranian influence. There were four major United States mistakes in United States foreign policy leading in stages to the September 11th attack during the past four decades in fighting the politics of terrorism in the Middle East. These errors are the main causes that led to current Islamic Mid East terror attacks against the United States, ranging from the marines landing in Beirut in 1958 to the Lebanese war in 1975, to the bombings and kidnaping in Beirut in 1983-1985, Beirut to Khobar, Dar As-Salam, Yemen, the USS Cole, and finalized it in the September 11th events. All these important past problems were the origin of the problem. The first failure: The lack of United States support to consolidate Lebanon in 1958 under western influence. This happened at a time when the United States Marines, under the Eisenhower Doctrine, landed in Beirut to help the government of former President Camille Chamoun assume its legally, mandated authority over its pro-western regime. Chamoun could not function effectively as he was threatened by a growing pro-Arab rebellion, asking for a union with the Egypt of Gamal Abdul Nasser and Syria. This lack of support for the pro-Western government of Lebanon was the first political crack in western influence in the Middle East This event helped lead to the birth of the Cairo accord of 1969 that guaranteed the Palestinian guerrillas freedom for military actions in southern Lebanon against Israel at the expense of the western oriented government in Lebanon then in power. The Cairo accord created friction between Palestinian guerrillas and the Lebanese government. At a time when the Lebanese state was neutralized by the Cairo accords due to Arab intervention in internal Lebanese affairs, the Islamic groups in Lebanon empowered by the Palestinian gun and the Egyptian-Syrian alliance, tried to overthrow the pro-western Christian government. The goal of this mission was to remove the western power influence in Lebanon and install an Arabist government in Lebanon that could serve as a model in fighting the west and as a launchpad for attacking Israel. This was 1975, the beginning of the Lebanese civil war, at the time when the Christian militias armed to protect Lebanon and its pro-western character. The second failure: The lack of United States support for its Lebanese allies in 1982 and not helping the Christians of Lebanon establish a western oriented country. Instead, America surrendered to terrorism after the United States Marines and the United States embassy were blown up. They withdrew in a humiliating fashion leaving behind a weak Christian government in power to withstand Islamic terrorism. The conclusion was certain. These events of 20 years ago emboldened the Islamists and led up to the events of September 11, 2001. The United States' mistake then was that they had halted Israel from assisting Lebanon in establishing a friendly pro-western regime that inevitably led to the Israeli incursion in Lebanon by General Sharon in 1982 and supported by then United States Secretary of State Alexander Haig. If the United States did not make this error, the region today would be far different and pro-Western. We are witnessing today a similar unbalanced United States process taking place in its relationship with Israel's fight against terror. The fight against terror is not won by winning compensation for the victims in United States courts as while an exemplary goal, it is a process of weakness that never has brought peace to the Middle East. To the contrary, it expanded from the Middle East and resulted in the September 11th attack on the United States. The third failure: The inconsistency of the Saudi regime as a reliable peace broker is demonstrated by the Saudis ignoring the threat of expansionist Iran who use all forms of terrorism to spread its Islamic revolution over pro-western regimes in the Middle East. Iran is mainly supported by Syria and other Islamic terror groups to maximize its influence in the Middle East and remove an effective United States presence both politically and economically. Iraq joined the Iranian/Syrian strategy of terrorism, only as a measure to consolidate its position in the event of any confrontation with the United States. The fourth failure: The history of military support by the CIA for Islamist insurgents, such as the Taliban, in order to fight communism in the third world countries led to Sept. 11th. This United States military support was to a large extent financed by Saudi Arabia in diverse countries ranging from Afghanistan to the Middle East, to the Chechnya conflict in Europe, and resulted in internal attacks against the United States and the destruction twice in N.Y. City and in Washington, D.C. This failure demonstrates that the United States must be cautious as to whom to support in the Middle East. Today's Saudi initiative may arm the enemies of tomorrow as they did the enemies of yesterday, and these failures predictably will lead to the rise of a stronger Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East. Iran supports the fundamentalist Shiaa and a politically confused Saudi Arabia who on one hand supports the United States and on the other hand supports the fundamentalist Sunnis (Wahhabis), all disputing territories, and all with one objective, which is to remove the United States presence in the Middle East by any means. Despite the fact that the Free Lebanese Forces value helping the IDF military operations against terrorism in the West Bank and contrary to the rumors that are circulating in the Arab villages under the Palestinian Authority and some Arab circles, the military units of the South Lebanese Army are not fighting nor assisting the IDF in the territories. These rumors are fictitious and circulated to divert the Lebanese issue from center stage. Those troops, betrayed by former Prime Minister Baraq's illusion that Israel will find a peaceful border and promoted by former United States President Bill Clinton who wanted to achieve any Middle East breakthrough before the end of his term, didn't have the chance to resist and neutralize HizbAllah from controlling South Lebanon without one shot fired. Kofi Anan, cooperating willingly with the Clinton Administration, forced this package deal that led HizbAllah to fill this vacuum that established South Lebanon as a major base of terror and armed with numerous missiles capable of penetrating deep into Israel. With a meaningful peace only in their imaginations, it was the disastrous United States' foreign policy of Clinton, in cooperation with the pseudo and myopic human right activist Anan, that has brought the Middle East to the brink of a new dangerous war that could have been avoided if Israel received support from the U.N. And now to complete the Clinton-Anan fiasco, Israel has a new unwelcome guest with which to complete this debacle: UN envoy Terje Larsen. We must ask if Terje Larsen will investigate the substantive contents of this matter instead of mythical human rights abuse in Jenin? The UN rather than focusing on and supporting the war against terrorism, is subordinating the main fight into humanitarian issues of debatable value. For example, Anan pressed Israel to withdraw from South Lebanon without a peace agreement, resulting in increased terrorism of HizbAllah spilling onto the border with Israel. Anan met with the Secretary General of HizbAllah, Hassan NasrAllah, in Beirut, and justified and legalized the political entity of HizbAllah in Lebanon to the international community. The Secretary General of the United Nations legalizing the number one terror organization in the world is unforgivable and demeans all members. What did the UN achieve by its meeting with HizbAllah, except for more bloodshed, more concessions, and more violence! To neglect the political process shaping the Middle East war on terrorism is a dangerous problem and is pushing the free world into a repeat of September 11th. While the United Nations is supporting a losing struggle in the fight against terror, the effect of their incompetent actions are supporting those groups who use the path of terrorism and suicide attacks and Jenin was the consequence. The world should know that while Anan and Larsen are enjoying their freedom in the comfort of their offices, while expressing concern over the humanitarian aspects of Jenin, we give thanks to the United States soldiers in Afghanistan who are placing their lives at risk for the survival of western democracy. The Israeli army had the same duty of clearing those infested Islamic strongholds that were so deeply spreading and involved in daily suicide attacks and bombings of innocent civilians. We would have liked to see some inquiries made by the United Nation to check the Israeli casualties and victims from all the suicide bombings that targeted innocent civilians, including a high proportion of young children. No inquiries were made. In Lebanon 1990, the Syrian Army created a human abattoir where some 500 Lebanese soldiers and civilians were shot in cold blood in the Dahr El Wahch area above the presidential palace in Beirut. No investigations by the UN has been launched or even considered for these wanton murders. Rather then focusing on the salient dangers threatening the stability of the world, those gentlemen of the UN roam off on a tangent that ignores the main issue of terrorism and they wander off into a myopic, human rights chapter of this conflict. The fight against terrorism should not be diverted. Arafat received a firm, unequivocal message from operation Defense Shield: Terrorism has a price and will not be tolerated. Peace could be addressed once terrorism stops and an acceptable compromise could then be found. Islamic fundamentalism in Lebanon, supported by Syria and Iran, should be addressed in the next battle against terror in the Middle East. It is HizbAllah and its sanctuary in Southern Lebanon, Beirut, and the Beqaa Valley, where the Bin Laden followers that escaped Afghanistan found a sanctuary in the Palestinian camps. It is the Syrian Army in Lebanon and the puppet Lebanese regime that supports this terrorist structure that must also be addressed. Therefore, in light of all the past, missed failures against terrorism, the Government of Free Lebanon proclaims: ** It has been twelve years that Saudi Arabia failed to be an honest broker guarantying the independance and sovereignty of Lebanon. By Saudi Arabia losing the ground in the Middle East vis a vis Iran, The Government of Free Lebanon declares the TAEF accords null and void. Saudi Arabia also failed in its responsibility in securing a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon under the TAEF accords. Instead, Syria turned to Iran for protection against what it considered effective United States politics in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Syria coordinated with Saudi Arabia and also in coordinated with Washington to legalize its illegal occupation of Lebanon. ** The Government of Free Lebanon declares to its citizens that it will reach Beirut and dissolve this occupation Government and this fake Parliament that was orchestrated by force of the Syrian occupation tanks the 13th of October 1990. ** The Government of Free Lebanon's goal is to initiate new elections in a free and democratic Lebanon that will serve as a model of a strong Middle East democracy, with a mission to heal and create a national reconciliation in the country, putting an end to terrorism and terrorist organizations, and promote and support a strong Lebanese State that will protect all its citizen, the poor and wealthy, the strong and weak, and pledge the rights and justice of all the other religious communities that establish the fabric of the Lebanese nation. ** The Government of Free Lebanon declares its willingness to sign a peace treaty with Israel and normalize the political situation of the Middle East in a new peace dynamic and secure the border with Israel. ** The Government of Free Lebanon declares its willingness to establish peaceful relations with Syria once they renounce the path of terror and submission of Lebanon. The United States should support our Government in Exile's return to Beirut and our struggle to defeat all the terror organizations in Lebanon. Israel should not be pressured nor stopped in its fight against terrorism, as America should not stop its fight in neutralizing the Taliban in Mazar El Sharif, Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia, with its presumed moderate stand with the United States, is playing a dangerous game that compromises the fight against terrorism. In pressuring the United States against Prime Minister Sharon, the Saudis are condemning themselves to justify the goals and the means of Bin Laden style terrorism. These Arab regimes are trapped within their own regimes, with a fate similar to the Shah of Iran if they do not take courageous actions in coordination with the West. Criticizing Sharon is a problem for their existence as Sharon is the answer and not the problem in an area where strength is supreme diplomacy. The military campaign of Sharon is part of the security of the United States and the Western World. The security of Washington is entwined with the security of Jerusalem, which is based on the security of the Middle East and where unfriendly capitals such as Beirut should be helped to reintegrate itself into a Western style democracy. If they do not integrate with the West, peace will be a difficult and impossible to achieve. The military campaign of the West Bank should be expanded to Lebanon and the new phase of the war against terror in the Middle East should focus on supporting and establishing friendly pro-western regimes in Lebanon and Syria who must be removed from Iranian influence This move will save the fate of Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Jordan, and Egypt, and assist them in surviving a fundamentalist takeover. The Government of Lebanon in Exile from Jerusalem is ready to assume military responsibility in assisting in the liberation of Lebanon. A Free Lebanon will be a bridge of stability for United States politics and interests in the Middle East. It will help build a new pro-Western Syria to emerge, and help an already targeted Saudi Arabia survive hostile Islamic fundamentalism. At a time where Arab moderate regimes are vulnerable to Islamic fundamentalist takeovers, they must take adequate measures to curb Islamic hatred. The West should defeat terrorism first using effective military action that is followed by an economic recovery plan, where prosperity will stabilize the new emerged democracies in the Middle East. This is the challenge of making peace, securing friendly regimes, and succeeding for generations to come. |
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