| Two
months ago, MP Michael Aoun paid a visit to the USA where
he met with Congressmen Eliot Engel and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
At this meeting, Aoun requested to address the US Congress,
but his request was rejected. Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen's
rejection of Aoun’s request was based on the fact
that he has too many opponents in Congress due to his
latest treacherous positions in Lebanon, especially his
relationship with Hizbullah and Syria. Prior to the Syrian
withdrawal from Lebanon, Aoun was praising the US Administration’s
stance regarding its backing of Lebanon's freedom and
for its calling on Syria to end its occupation of its
tiny neighbor-Lebanon. Aoun went to the extent of portraying
himself as a partner of the US Congress where he assumed
responsibility for the passage of the Syria Accountability
and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003, and
later considered himself behind the issuance of the United
Nations Resolution 1559. This was Aoun’s position
before his suspicious return to Lebanon on May 7, 2005
and before striking new alliances. Following his return,
Aoun has distanced himself from the US and the March 14th
independence group and allied himself with Hizbullah and
the Syrian/Iranian/Hamas adding to the influence of the
Shiite Crescent.
The
Aoun/Hizbullah alliance did not come as a surprise to
observers who sensed Aoun’s extensive flirtation
with the Party of God. On January 24, 2006, talking about
the Baâbda-Aley by-elections after the death of
Lebanese Forces MP Edmond Naim, Aoun announced: "We
will run the electoral campaign in alliance with Hizbullah."
A day earlier, in a speech at al-Achraf University, the
head of Hizbullah Mr. Hassan Nasrallah called the Druze
leader Walid Jumblat an “unstable and unbalanced
politician guilty of many crimes,” while he expressed
his total trust in General Michel Aoun calling him a “man
of integrity capable of leading the country towards stability.”
Furthermore, on January 22, 2006, Mr. Nasrallah warned
the Lebanese officials from co-operating with the United
States against his organization, promising that they would
"repent" such a mistake. He affirmed:“Whoever
dreams about getting rid of Hizbullah in any position
is mistaken," Nasrallah said in a speech at a graduation
ceremony for 1,300 Hizbullah members and supporters including
two members of Aoun’s bloc MPs Selim Aoun representing
MP Aoun and his colleague Abbas Hashem. Meanwhile, Aoun
boycotted a March 14th gathering in the Martyr Square
commemorating the latest martyr GibranTueini’s 40th
day mass.
Earlier
last month, Aoun sent a delegation of his bloc to attend
the Youm el-Qods parade (Jerusalem Day), which is an annual
event where Hizbullah flexes its military muscles while
Hassan Nasrallah address the “Islamic Resistance.”
Furthermore, during a TV conference while conversing with
reporters regarding the US claim that Hizbullah is a terrorist
organization due to its kidnappings of foreign civilians
in the 1980's, he laughed sarcastically and asked rhetorically:
"Do you think they [kidnapped Westerners] were tourists?"
reaffirming that "The foreigners that were kidnapped
by Hizbullah were neither tourists nor saint." He
further defended Hizbullah’s past by asserting that
the Party did not have mass graves. He later announced
that his Free Patriotic Movement's closest ally in Lebanon
was Hizbullah, as the two held similar views with regards
to reform and other internal issues. Aoun's alliance with
Hizbullah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was
sealed when on February 6, 2006, the two leaders met in
Beirut and issued in a joint press release of a working
agenda. Most important of this agreement is the issue
of Hizbullah disarmament, which they agreed that such
an issue depends on "the liberation of the Shibaa
Farms; the release of Lebanese held in Israeli prisons;
and on the defense of Lebanon from Israeli threats."
Responding to a question regarding the implementation
of the UNSCR 1559, Aoun replied: “the agreement
does not oppose or support the UNSCR 1559; this is a national
issue and it will be discussed according to the national
interest.” In a consensual democracy, however, this
means that the UNSCR 1559 could be implemented only if
all members of parliament agreed that it is for the best
interest of Lebanon and its national unity to implement
the 1559, which include the disarmament of Hizbullah and
other terrorist groups, which are interconnected with
regional issues, especially the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Thus, it is fair to say that since his return, Aoun first
tried to cripple the Cedar revolution through his alliances
with the pro-Syria’s groups, while in his alliance
with Hizbullah he is trying to assassinate it by acting
as an umbrella for Hizbullah against the UNSCR 1559. Thus,
he must be dealt with accordingly.
Notwithstanding,
despite the fact that Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen flatly
rejected Aoun’s request to address the Congress,
Mr.
Engel agreed to join Aoun in planting a Cedar tree in
the Capitol’s yard. It was supposed to be a symbol
of friendship rather than treason. However, after having
stated the above facts, it is evident that Aoun does not
represent the true spirit of the Lebanese people, nor
does he uphold the values and aspirations they share with
their American counterparts. Therefore, the Cedar tree
which he planted represents treason not friendship; it
represents betrayal not loyalty; and it represents deception
not purity. It is evident that there is no compatibility
or synonym-ity between Aoun and the Cedar tree. Thus,
we ask Mr. Engel to remove the Cedar tree from the yard
of the US Capitol for it is an honor that Aoun does not
represent or deserve. We will replant another Cedar tree
which truly represents our people’s shared values
and friendship when a true representative of the Lebanese
people visits the USA. Such an act is not going to stop
Aoun’s treacherous politics, but it will send a
message to those who comprehend realpolitik. Meanwhile,
we hope that the Lebanese people, especially the Christians
who voted for Aoun in the parliamentary elections and
who consider him their “savior,” will realize
the danger behind Aoun’s treacherous politics in
linking the fate of the Lebanese Christians to that of
the Shiite Crescent, which is heading towards confrontation
with the UN, similar to linking them to Saddam Hussein's
fate in the 1990s and take action to stop this madman
from burning the nation, again.
Pierre
A. Maroun
Secretary General
American Lebanese Coordination Council
727-641-9764
February
7, 2006
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