National Liberal Party President Dory Chamoun said Friday that Syria has not yet delivered on its promises to withdraw from this country.
| "I mean, it's been 30 years now..." |
Commenting on Syrian President Bashar Assad's recent remarks saying that Syria would go along with whoever the Lebanese people choose as their president, the party accused Syria of saying something and doing another with regard to the withdrawal issue. "By linking the Syrian Army's presence in Lebanon with ... peace in the Middle East, Assad has made Lebanon, which is basically the only remaining Arab military front, a hostage by suffering alone the consequences of the confrontation with Israel," the NLP said. The NLP statement said that Assad's statements about Lebanon's presidential race and his need to see Lebanon on an equal footing with Syria amounted to an interference in Lebanon's internal affairs. "Syrian hegemony and patronage have created dependent and subordinate institutions in a way that Lebanon has been masquerading as an independent state while in reality its political and economic sectors are under the control of Syria," it said.
The party said that it was unacceptable to demand international legitimacy to be applied to Iraq and Palestine, while at the same timlutions [sic!] regarding the Blue Line and Shebaa Farms. "It is equally unacceptable to protest against foreign intervention in Iraq while overlooking open foreign (Syrian) intervention in Lebanon's domestic issues. In light of Assad's statements, we reiterate our demand for a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon that has been footing the bill on behalf of all Arabs and is no more capable of continuing on the same path. ... We also stress the need for a healthy relation with Syria," the statement said. |