1559, Once and for all

By: Roni Doumit

July 24/2006

We, the Lebanese people in the Diaspora has been trying since many years to liberate Lebanon from all foreign armies and militias to bring back stability by helping the Lebanese government to spread its sovereignty over all its national territories.

After a long and hard struggle and thanks to some changes in the policies of the worlds super powers we could reach a UN resolution for the Lebanese cause called UNSCR 1559.

This was the first time in many years that the UN and the International community had started to look at Lebanon and was thinking of ways to help this tiny little country.

Everybody hoped that this resolution could be implemented in a smooth way so that Lebanon could start to really be free and enjoy prosperity taking back its role as the Switzerland of the Mediterranean with Beirut as the Paris of the Orient.

The resolution 1559 was of course nothing that the enemies of Lebanon liked. They first tried to do everything in their power to stop it from becoming a reality in the UN Security council.

When time came for the resolution to get implemented we could see how they did all they could to stop this progress. Last year and after mass demonstrations in the Martyr square in central Beirut reaching up to 40 % of the Lebanese population gathering in a civilized and peaceful stile demanding the truth in the Rafic Hariri murder and asking the Arab Syrian Army to leave Lebanon for good.

After a few intense weeks they finally had to withdraw after 29 years of occupation. With that action the first point of the resolution was partly implemented.

The other 2 remaining points in resolution 1559 are the disarmament of all the Lebanese militias, mainly Hezbollah and the disarmament of the non Lebanese militias and parties operating inside Lebanon, mainly the Palestinian armed groups.

The former Lebanese governments as the current one have always been weak in facing such challenges.

There were some attempts to implement the 1559 but all failed because Hezbollah always had another opinion about the so called resistance against the ¨Israeli danger¨.

Today and in July 2006 the Israeli state got enough from the Hezbollah danger on its northern border, considering being threatened all the time with small guerrilla stile war. After Hezbollah went inside the international so called blue line between Lebanon and Israel killing 8 Israeli soldiers and kidnapping 2 Israel decided to end what is called Hezbollah once and for all.

The war is still going on and if Israel succeed with disarming Hezbollah it will be the second point of the resolution 1559 implemented, what will be left is the different Palestinian armed groups. That could only come through another Israeli strike or by the Lebanese government taking its responsibility and starting to play it’s rightfully role as the only power and authority in Lebanon.

So, only after all that is made and done could Lebanon start to build up its image as a free country worth visiting and enjoying.

Maybe we can once again find the old spirit that Lebanon enjoyed in the 50:s and 60:s making it through its glory the famous pearl in the Mediterranean.

Once and for all and for Lebanon’s sake, implement the 1559 now!