Jumblat: Lebanon Has Failed in Ending Oppression against Syrian People
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat condemned on Monday Lebanon’s position on the Arab League decision on Syria, saying that it had failed the Syrian people.
He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: “Lebanon shied away from its political, humanitarian, and moral responsibilities towards ending oppression against the Syrian people when it voiced reservations on the Arab League decision.”
The Arab League said it agreed on Sunday to open contacts with Syria's opposition and to ask the United Nations to form a joint peacekeeping force to the unrest-swept country in moves swiftly rejected by Syria.
Arab diplomats "will open channels of communication with the Syrian opposition and offer full political and financial support, urging (the opposition) to unify its ranks," it said in a statement.
Addressing the seventh anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Jumblat noted: “He was a unique man of state who called for dialogue among the Lebanese during the worst circumstances.”
“He adopted a moderate approach and sought to employ his Arab and international connections for Lebanon’s national interests, away from personal or factional gain,” he stressed.
“Hariri believed in Palestine and the Palestinian cause and he defended its people’s legitimate rights,” he continued.
“He can be greatly credited for the April 1996 Lebanese-Israeli ceasefire understanding, which was tantamount to a recognition of resistance activity in Lebanon,” added the MP.
The understanding helped end Israel’s 1996 Grapes of Wrath offensive against southern Lebanon.
“Hariri sought to build the state, strengthen the army and economy, and implement development projects throughout Lebanese territory, which he did not discriminate against based on political or sectarian affiliations,” remarked Jumblat.
“The slain premier believed in Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty, which he paid for with his life,” he said.
“He believed in friendly Lebanese-Syrian ties away from the mentality of hegemony,” he continued.
The MP stated: “Lebanon will remain indebted to Rafik Hariri in several fields.”
“On the occasion of February 14, I salute Hariri and all the martyrs of the Cedar Revolution, both living and dead,” he declared.
He also saluted the “martyrs of the Syrian revolution and the political prisoners in Syrian jails.”
Hariri was assassinated on February 14, 2005 in a massive car bomb in Beirut.
His murder, which was widely blamed on Syria, sparked a wave of protests against Syria’s then-military presence in Lebanon, which was dubbed the Cedar Revolution.
The demonstrations and great international pressure resulted in the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in April 2005.
Source: Naharnet
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