Hariri's Web Site as Mercenary Media
By: Elias Bejjani

Technology at the present time has turned the whole world into a small village, in which no one can overlook the extremely influential media role in every domain, especially politics. Whenever free media is mentioned, it refers automatically to freedom, democracy, human rights and peace, or the extreme opposite of all these characteristics (when media is oppressed and under the control of a police state) as in occupied Lebanon currently.

For the Middle East in general, and for the Arab world in particular, media, freedom and Lebanon are a holy and inseparable triangle. Lebanon, the land of the sacred cedars all through its significant 6000 years of history has been known for many different pioneering discoveries and inventions in all domains from alphabet, science and religion, law, democracy, sailing, building ships etc. But always it was known as an oasis for freedom and an asylum for all those persecuted because of their beliefs, even through the devastating 400 years of the Ottoman era.

The Syrian-Lebanese installed regime and after manipulating its way in buying or intimidating the majority of the media facilities in Lebanon, including the biggest newspapers, decided to follow the same devious tactics in the Diaspora. The plan is orchestrated and financed by Mr. Rafic Hariri himself, who recently started his own Internet Page on the world-wide web. Those who visited the site noticed plainly the message which Mr. Hariri is trying to deliver to millions of Lebanese and Lebanese descendants living all over the world. He is portraying himself as a self-made hero and patriotic leader whose dedicated mission is rebuilding Lebanon, putting it back on its feet after a devastating 20 years of other's wars imposed on the country. It is worth mentioning that Mr. Hariri himself was one of the most generous hidden resources in financing the war. There are solid proofs that he paid millions of dollars to war lords and militias to keep them fighting each other and to destroy downtown Beirut in particular where he is building currently his empire through "Solidaire company".

To fulfill his devious Diaspora plan Hariri knew that he had to discredit some decent, patriotic opposition leaders, among whom is General Michele Aoun. To this end, hundreds of articles were published by mercenary journalists in occupied Lebanon, France and USA, all focusing on what they called the scandal of the actual popularity of Aoun. These articles appeared in the media before, throughout and after the municipal and mayoral elections. The message was: General Aoun's popularity had turned out to be very low and the Free National Current, which he heads, could not win enough municipal and mayoral seats.

The reality is that the Current was able to prove that General Aoun is the most popular Lebanese leader both in Lebanon and in Diaspora. The Current, in spite of all the authority-money-feudal Mafioso, occupation status quo, intimidation, temptation, atrocities, and many other police-intelligence factors, was able to score numerous successes all over Lebanon through candidates from different religions, even in rural areas of Akkar located on the Lebanese-Syrian border. It is worth mentioning that Mr. Renee Al-Kareh who ran on his own in Zkarta (a city in North Lebanon) was able to attract 43 % of the votes. Another important fact that should not be ignored is that hundreds of Aoun supporters won, but refrained from declaring their affiliation to the "Free National Current" publicly for safety and security reasons. The regime puppets are aware of these people, as well as every body else in Lebanon, but pretend differently.

The popularity of General Aoun was exhibited clearly in a questionnaire conducted lately by some media facilities in Beirut to determine whom the Lebanese would like to see as a president after Mr. Elias Hraw's term finishes in coming October. General Aoun came first, followed by General Emil Lahoud. General Aoun knows clearly where he stands, as well as the majority of the Lebanese people. In fact he is the only leader that has followers among all religions and all parts of Lebanon although he has been living in involuntary exile for the last eight years with strict restrictions on his political activities.

General Aoun's visit to Australia speaks for itself. In the recent history of that country no one foreign political leader received the overwhelming public welcome that Aoun enjoyed. General Aoun's followers in Lebanon and all over the world are very proud of him. They work hard for the Lebanese cause that he personifies and none of them is paid a cent, while all the Hariri human-drums and mercenary journalists are on his payroll. Most of these puppets were and may still be on different foreign payrolls, because their affiliation is to the highest bidder. Any how Hariri is not being generous from his own pocket, but from the people's money. The national debt will jump to about $26 billion by the year 1999 because of his devastating economic policy. His ultimate goal remains, contrary to all his alleged statements of denial in this respect, to sell the Lebanese national gold reserve.

Mr. Hariri is not afraid of buying politicians and journalists at whatever cost. Furthermore, it is a fact that he does not mind silencing anybody in occupied Lebanon or in Diaspora who opposes his Syrian-Saudi agenda in any way. His financial grip on the Lebanese media, real state sector, banks, Beirut municipality and government, confirms the fact that he is planning to control the whole country, people and soil. He is aiming to turn the whole of Lebanon into an individual, privately run company according to the Saudi model. One simple fact Hariri is unable to comprehend about the patriotic Lebanese among which General Aoun and his followers are numbered, is that money can not buy everybody, and a noble human heart is not for sale.

Mr. Rafic Harir's web site is a means of media deception, a means of lobbying for the occupation forces, a means of buying those whose conscience is for sale. Do browse Hariri=s site, but always be cautious of his vicious hidden messages and watch you don't fall into his enticing traps.

Long live free Lebanon.