Pro Lebanon, Not anti Syria
By: Elias Bejjani

As believers in the 10452-Km square doctrine, and as worshipers of the Lebanese holy soil, identity and history, every now and then we are asked the same questions
Why you are against Syria?
Why do you equate the Syrian military presence in Lebanon with that of the Israeli occupation?
Why can’t you accept the Syrian allegations that its military presence in Lebanon is a stabilizing factor?
Why do you refuse the Syrian claim that both the Lebanese and the Syrians are one people in two countries?
Why do you refuse the Arabism identity?
Why do you call the Lebanese regime a puppet?
Why do you not recognize the legitimacy of General Lahoud?

Our answers are as follows:
1-We are not against the Syrians in Syria, we are against them in Lebanon. The Syrian military presence in our country is an occupation by every documented and international criterion. We the Lebanese are not interfering with Syria’s internal affairs and the Syrians should do the same and mind their own business. The Lebanese people are more than capable to take care of their country’s affairs and do not need the Syrian military presence or the Syrian custodian care.

2- It would be a mockery and a kind of self-deception if we do not call the Syrian complete hegemony over Lebanon an occupation. In fact it is more than an occupation, and even worse than slavery. Only those Lebanese, who pretend to be blind to what goes on around them decline from calling the Syrian presence an occupation. Meanwhile equating the Syrian presence with that of the Israeli occupation to the South is more than fair. The Israelis, who are considered enemies, have announced officially several times their serious intentions to leave, provided security measures are arranged with the Lebanese authorities on the mutual borders. They have already withdrawn from Jezzine region, while the Syrians, the so-called brothers occupy 90 % of the country, and control the Lebanese puppet regime with a Stalinist iron fist. They tag all the Lebanese who call for their withdrawal as enemies and Israeli agents. Syria has never recognized our country as an independent state and continuously refused to exchange diplomatic relations with us.

3-The Syrian military presence in Lebanon is not a stabilizing factor by any means, on the contrary it is a vehicle for instigating internal wars and hindering the common living among the Lebanese different communities. The Syrians have prevented the Lebanese Army from controlling the Palestinian refugee camps, and refused to allow the Lebanese authorities to disarm the Amal Movement, Hizobollah or the other Palestinian and Lebanese armed groups working under its umbrella and fighting Israel from South Lebanon.

4-The Syrians and the Lebanese are not one people, although they are very close neighbors and share a great deal of traditions, history and culture. The Lebanese are Lebanese and the Syrians are Syrians, and what actually applies to the Syrians and the Lebanese ties applies to the Syrians and the Jordanians, Palestinians, Iraqis, Egyptians and the rest of the Arabic countries.

5-We refuse the Arabism identity because not all the Lebanese people are of Arabic descents, although some are, and we are very proud of that. The Lebanese people come from different roots mainly Phoenicians, but we have also Armenians, Turks, Kurds, Assorians, Keldanies, Europeans, Iranis etc. The people of Lebanon are Lebanese of different roots, cultures and religions. Accordingly we can’t accept the Arabism identity as the sole one. Syria is trying to force on us this identity to serve its own interests and not because its leadership believes in Arabism. Our history goes back to more than 6000 years, we fought the Arabs and defeated them several times before they conquered our own independent country in year 700 AC. They even forced their language on us and tortured those who spoke the Lebanese original Syriani language.

6-The Current Lebanese regime is a mere puppet, because Syria has installed its officials either by force or through fake elections. All the officials from the so-called president to the appointed MP’s, Ministers, etc are like robots controlled completely by the Syrians. They serve the Syrians and not the Lebanese interests, and do not represent the Lebanese hopes or aspirations.

7- How could we recognize the legitimacy of General Lahoud, if he does not have one? The Syrian president personally appointed him, while the Lebanese people had no say in the matter. The Lebanese-Syrian installed MP’s approved Lahoud’s appointment because the Syrians instructed them to do so. In fact the Lebanese current parliament is like a rubber stamp used by the Syrians to give a fake legitimacy for their atrocities inflicted on the people of Lebanon.

For all of the above we are against the Syrians in Lebanon, and not in Syria. We call on the Syrians to leave our country with their 40.000 troops, and the one and a half million illegal workers. We ask the Syrians to go back to Syria and leave us alone, and then we can co-ordinate and co-operate as brothers and two independent, sovereign free countries. The so-alleged Syrian-Lebanese brotherhood does not give the Syrians by any means the right to enslave us, we the peace-loving people of Lebanon, or to occupy our great country and destroy our deeply rooted history and identity.
Long Live Free Lebanon
===================================================================