"Khaddam's Symphony"
 By: General Michel Aoun
 (Translated by: Elias Bejjani)
 3 July 1998

 Mr. Abdel Halim Khaddam (Syrian vice president) told Annahar Lebanese newspaper on June 23, 1998: "except collaborators with Israel, all Lebanese politicians in the government, as well as those in the opposition are all Syria's allies." He added: "Israel always wanted to dismantle Lebanon as an independent sovereign state in a bid to serve its aims and greedy ambitions." According to Khaddam, Lebanon is currently the only country in the world that was capable to regain its national unity after an end was put to its civil war.

 There is some truth in Kaddam's statements. We agree with him that all Syrian-appointed officials are totally submissive to the Syrian influence, as well as those who are in the so-called "opposition". This bizarre status quo of imposed puppet leadership is the outcome of Syrian taming, intimidation and temptation. The Syrians were able to force this status upon us because of the collaborationist nature of our corrupt politicians.

 When we look thoroughly at the long list of politicians who have collaborated with Syria, we find that many of them also collaborated with Israel to destroy Lebanon's stability. Syria gathered under its wings all Lebanese politicians who are notorious for collaborating with every foreign power. It is noticeable too that throughout the era of decline that originated in 1990 (following Syria's invasion of last remaining free part of Lebanon), many of these collaborators have been ministers in successive governments headed by Dr. Salim Hoss, Omar Karami, Rashid El-Solh, and Rafic Harriri. It is worth mentioning that Syria would not have been able to enter Lebanon and put it merely under its control without direct and indirect cooperation with Israel. We give Mr. Kaddam himself the liberty to specify what services his country offered to Israel in return.

 It is to Syria's advantage that none of its officials speak about this collaboration with Israel, choosing instead to falsely accuse others, for nobody is ignorant of Syria's containing role in the Middle East crisis. This role has been merely rhetorical, devoid of any tangible effort to serve the Arab national interests. Syria, who is allegedly in Lebanon to defend its people against Israel, has never fired one bullet against Israeli troops who are assaulting Lebanon on an almost daily basis.

Syria, who claims falsely to be resisting Israel in South Lebanon, did not fire one bullet against the Israeli troops in the occupied-annexed Gollan Heights. Instead it used its destructive weapons and ammunition to displace, intimidate and massacre peaceful Lebanese citizens in Tripoli, Beirut, Mount Lebanon and other parts of our beloved country.

 It is not in Syria's interests to talk either about collaboration with Israel or about the civil war in Lebanon. For when they do, we will be ready to call for an international investigating tribunal to identify those who ignited, manipulated, exploited, used, financed and participated in the devastating Lebanese war.

 When talking about wars of others in Lebanon, a certain standard of shame is in the interest of all parties involved in a bid to overcome tragedies from the past (since 1975). The ongoing lies and distortion in uncovering the war's events oblige us to review and examine its numerous painful phases and pinpoint openly the bloody and devastating Syrian role. Accordingly, it is not in the interest of Mr. Khaddam or any other Syrian official to describe the Lebanese war as a civil one, for it was, and still is, the war of others in and against Lebanon.

 We draw Mr. Kaddam's attention, as well as that of others, to the fact that talking about the war in Lebanon is not by any means going to absolve him from responsibilities for massacres he ordered. The Lebanese war was a Syrian one against Lebanon and not a civil war among the Lebanese. The Syrian regime must know that the human sand bags it installed in office are a polluted remnant of the war and will not be able to hide the truth.