Marach 27/3/2002
Open Message Addressed By General Michel Aoun

To The Arab Summit Held In Beirut

 Your Highnesses, Excellencies, Kings, Princes, Presidents and Prime Ministers

of Arab countries,

You are holding today your summit in Beirut, capital of an afflicted country, whose patient and determined people have the pleasure to welcome you, rising above their tragedies, their moral and physical pains, and their memory full of frustration and bitterness. The Lebanese people are eager to put before you their cause and their concerns, and hand in to you the following truths and facts:

First:
You are fully aware that Lebanon is one of the seven states, which founded the Arab League and set up its charter. It has also been one of its active members for 57 years. It has sought since its foundation, to adopt its causes and made all sacrifices to stand by it, mainly in backing the Palestinian cause. Besides, it was –and is still- the first to pay its prices, to such an extent that its own cause has become as important and as dangerous as the Palestinian one.

You are also aware that Lebanon is the only Arab state, which is subject to the will of another Arab state, i.e. Syria. Lebanon is rather under a Syrian occupation, involving its territory, regime in place, institutions, politics, economy, finance and administration, which is contrary to the charter of the Arab League guaranteeing the sovereignty and independence of all and every member state.

You undoubtedly know that each Arab state has one voice at the Summit, and in all Arab and international forums, whereas Syria has two voices, and Lebanon none!

Second:
Lebanon has always appealed to its Arab brothers, all along the wars and crisis it went through, not to save it from the internal feuds opposing its nationals- which are easy to remedy and normal for any country with such a diversity  – but rather to put an end to foreign interference in its affairs. Most of you have followed closely the real reasons behind its tragedy, and you came up with a noble stance in summer 1989, following Casablanca Summit, where you put your fingers on the truth and condemned then Syria’s breach to Lebanon’s sovereignty. Yet urgent calculations in the game of international and regional interests led to a sudden and suspicious change in this sound direction, and you succumbed to pressures, and turned to Taef, where you participated in elaborating its agreement, thinking – probably in a good faith which others lack – that it was the o nly means to save Lebanon.

Yet, soon, the subterfuge underlying this agreement came to light and everyone fell in the trap against which we have strongly warned; the Syrian regime took up singlehandedly the Taef accords and Lebanon, interpreting the former as it wishes, depriving it of the little good in it and implementing the main bad part, while controlling the latter’s decision, breaching its sovereignty and its people’s freedom, and taking over its economy and its remaining good health. Meanwhile, your keepers have overlooked the foxes and turned their back on the slain brother.

13 years later, you arrive in Beirut to face the bitter truth: an occupied country, a subordinate regime, a void policy, a failing economy, and an agreement at stake. And on the front, the voices of their masters attacking your peace initiative on behalf of Syria, and coming to blows with the resolutions of the international legitimacy to serve Damascus’ interests.

Third:

If some Lebanese and Arabs have been fooled by the Taef’s subterfuge, and have been assumed for 13 years that it was a promise of salvation, the Arab magnanimity should have compelled its signatories to commit themselves to agreements and instrument, as well as so-called verbal guarantees, whereas there was a need for international documented guarantees, which would have helped in carrying out the Syrian withdrawal ten years ago, and would not turn Lebanon into a lure for the Syrian regime and a hostage used by Syria to confront the Arabs themselves, while bargaining and distributing consolation prizes.

Since peoples’ rights are not to be overlooked, mainly the right to self-determination, the Lebanese people’s rights are as important as that of any other Arab people. Besides, one shall not be discretionary in implementing the resolutions of the international legitimacy. Lebanon enjoys a great deal of these rights, not to be ignored and overlooked, precisely the resolution No 520 calling for the withdrawal of all foreign troops, as well as the resolution No 426, complementing the resolution 425, so that the Syrian exploitation of the fake Shebaa farms’ issue is over and Lebanon’s alienation ends.

We wonder how Arabs call upon the world to respect all resolutions and instruments related to Arab causes, at a time when they fail to respect them themselves!

Fourth:
Lebanon, whose sovereignty is today violated and whose will is ripped off, constitutes a burden for you, standing in the way of your progress towards the future. And if its leaders welcome you today in celebrations, this is not but cosmetic powders used to embellish the malignant tumor that is snapping the Lebanese body.

As for the free and independent Lebanon, it constitutes a human treasure, which you, among all others, can use as a civilized shield in the realm of regional and international conflicts, and which can be a safety net for you in the dialogue -or the conflict- of civilizations. So seek honestly to gain it back from the Syrian regime, work with the civilized world on liberating it from its chains, and commit yourself to the instruments and obligations of brotherhood, so that we earn altogether the merit to belong to this era.

Finally, be confident that the Lebanese people are not submissive or resigned. Here are its young vanguards injecting in its veins the energy of refusal and the sap of life. So, don’t fail in meeting their free will and don’t push them towards other means in order to snatch their rights, such as all free peoples.

Long Live Free LEBANON