Council of Lebanese American Organizations CLAO www.clao.com
PLEDGE OR PLOY?
“Every nation,in every region,now has a decision to
make…. either you are with us,or you are with the terrorists….. From this day
forward,any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the
United States as a hostile regime”–President George W.Bush–Sept 20,2001 America
is itself at that crossroads.
· Will we keep the promise we made to our dead?
· Will we live by that pledge or will we go back to politics as usual?
· Will we eradicate terror in all its forms or will we go back to making deals?
Syria tops the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism,but:
· The US has called Syria a “factor of stability”since its 1975 invasion of
Lebanon
· No sanctions were ever imposed on Syria
Syria’s “stabilization”record in Lebanon:
· Assassination of US Envoy Francis Meloy (1976)and French Envoy Louis Delamare (1981)
· Assassination of Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt (1977)and President-elect Bashir Gemayel
(1982)
· Assassination of journalist Salim Al-Lawzi after melting his right hand in acid (1980)
· Mass murder of 15,000 Syrian civilians in the uprising of the city of Hama (1981)
· Homicide-bombing of 241 peacekeeping US Marines in their sleep in Beirut (1983)
· Bombing of the U.S.Embassy in Beirut twice (1983 and 1986)
· Kidnapping of US and French teachers,clergymen,and journalists as hostages (1980s)
· Assassination of American University of Beirut President Malcolm Kerr (1984)
· Kidnapping,torture,and murder by hanging of US Col.William H.Buckley (1985)
· Hijacking of TWA flight 847 on Beirut Airport tarmac in 1985
· Assassination of President René Moawad and Grand Mufti Sheikh Hassan Khaled (1989)
· The bloody toppling and exile of Lebanon’s last independent government (1990)
· Bombing of American University of Beirut’s historic College Hall (1991)
Since its October 1990 final takeover of Lebanon,Syria has:
· Installed a Vichy-like puppet collaborator regime in occupied Lebanon
· Forced Lebanon to remain the only active war front with Israel
· Supported the anti-peace process Iranian Revolutionary Guards,Hezbollah,Hamas,and
Islamic Jihad
· Refused to withdraw its troops from Lebanon in accordance with UN Resolutions 425 and
520
· Prevented the deployment of the Lebanese Army to South Lebanon after the June 2000
Israeli withdrawal
· Continued the assassination,kidnapping,and liquidation of opponents of its
occupation:Ambassador Mohammad Choucair,Dean Sobhi El-Saleh,Boutros Khawand,Ramzi
Irani,and others
· Continues to hold and torture thousands of Lebanese civilians in Syrian jails