The Lebanese will never forget those who changed their skin and backed on all promises, covenants and platforms
By: Elias Bejjani
LCCC
Chairman
October 16/06
On this 16th anniversary of the terrible massacre committed on October 13, 1990
by the Syrian Baath regime along with Lebanese, regional, fundamentalist,
and terrorist forces, the Lebanese Canadian Coordination Council (LCCC) bows in
respect and tribute to the souls of the martyrs of the Cedars nation, military,
civilian, and men of religion alike, and to the thousands of handicapped and
injured. We raise our prayers humbly to Almighty God asking him with the
benevolence of Lebanon’s saints Charbel, Rafqa, and Hardini, to have mercy on
the souls of all those who died in the field of duty. And to nurse the wounds of
all sufferers, and for the return of those forcefully displaced from their
homes.
From the LCCC we loudly call for the uncovering of the fate of all missing and kidnapped
Lebanese citizens detained arbitrarily without any due process in Syrian
prisons.For years, Syrian Baath authorities have denied the detainees' existence and
refused to give access to the Red Cross to their notorious jails. This same
criminal
stance of denial was, and still is, adopted by Lebanese officials, politicians,
and warlords from the Syrian occupation era.
What is sad and shocking in the midst of this ongoing human rights dilemma is
the recent position of General Michel Aoun, the Free Patriotic Movement leader,
who for sixteen years was advocating staunchly for the release of these
detainees. The General has recently adopted the stance of the Syrian authorities
and their
Lebanese politician and warlord allies. In a recent TV interview, Aoun has
publicly denied the presence of any of his followers and party members in the
Syrian
jails. His shocking position has raised many bewildering questions and left a
sense of disappointment in regards to what many Lebanese believe has to do with
Aoun's ambition to be Lebanon's next president at any cost. This outright
abandonment could be further understood in Aoun's newly forged alliance with
Hezbollah, with Lebanon's Syrian-appointed president General Lahoud, the
Lebanese Baathist party allied with Syria, and with the rest of the Lebanese
politicians and parties that remain fully loyal to the Syrian Baath regime. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlPdszrDP2E
Lebanon, the nation that gave the Alphabet and the science of navigation to the
world, and which remained steadfast valiantly and with dignity for 7,000 years,
is a nation of sacrifices, eternity, and holiness. This nation is proud of the
will of liberation and peaceful resistance, which the Syrian occupation failed
to snuff out, and of the great sacrifices offered by its free people during
those dark long years. This will to freedom was displayed again in the Cedars
Revolution of March 14, 2005 in a popular expression never before seen in
Lebanon’s history.
We salute our heroic martyrs and all the Free Lebanese who fell in defense of
honor, sovereignty, and freedom. Meanwhile, we feel sorry for those leaders,
politicians and parties who retreated from eighteen years of promises, covenants
and national convictions, and abandoned Lebanon's righteous and just cause of
sovereignty, freedom and independence. It is sad that they changed their
positions with unconvincing rationale and excuses. There is no doubt that they
will be exposed sooner or later, and then there will be tears and gnashing of
teeth.
Background
On October 13, 1990 the Syrian Army savagely invaded the
last remaining free regions of Lebanon, killed and mutilated hundreds of
Lebanese soldiers and innocent citizens in cold blooded murder, kidnapped tens
of soldiers, officers, clergymen, politicians and citizens, sent the legitimate
government into exile and erected a subservient and puppet government. Since
then, the Lebanese people commemorate the painful event each year on October 13.
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*The lccc is a
Federal umbrella for the following nonprofit municipal, provincial and federal
Canadian registered groups:
Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation, (CLHRF), Canadian Lebanese Free
Patriotic Movement (FPM-Canada), Phoenician Club of Mississauga (PCOM),/Canadian
Phoenician Community Services Club (CPCSC),Canadian Lebanese Christian Heritage
Club (CLCHC),World Lebanese Cultural Union (WLCU)-Canadian Chapter.
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For more information,
please contact us at one of the following e-mail addresses:
clhrf@yahoo.com or
Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web Sites Related to the above
co signers
www.10452lccc.com
www.clhrf.com