American Jewish Committee Ad Calls for End to Syria's Occupation of Lebanon

American Jewish Committee
Sunday, 24 June 2001

The American Jewish Committee is calling for Syria to end its 25-year old occupation of Lebanon.

"Syria's occupation is a disaster for Lebanon," the American Jewish Committee states in an ad on the op-ed page of today's New York Times. "Syria has never recognized Lebanon as a sovereign and independent state. Its occupation violates international law and hinders Middle East peacemaking."

The AJC points out that Lebanon's civil war, Syria's original pretext for marching its soldiers into Lebanon, is long over. And, a year ago, the UN certified Israel's full withdrawal from southern Lebanon, nullifying the final excuse for Syria's occupation.

Despite recent publicized Syrian troop movements, the Lebanese government remains a pawn of Syria, states the AJC.

"Oppressed for a quarter century by Syrian occupation, the Lebanese yearn to write a new chapter of history: Lebanon for the Lebanese," states the AJC. "It is long overdue for Lebanon to be master of the its fate. It is long overdue for Syria, finally, to bring all of its troops home."

The full the text of the American Jewish Committee New York Times ad follows:

"A year ago the UN certified Israel's full withdrawal from southern Lebanon. But, despite recent publicized Syrian troop movements, the Lebanese government remains a pawn of Syria. Why? The answer is simple: Syria occupies Lebanon.

"The same Syria whose president, Bashar Assad, recently greeted the Pope with a vicious and inciteful anti-Semitic speech. This is the occupier of Lebanon.

"The same Syria that later this year could win a seat on the UN Security Council. This is the occupier of Lebanon.

"In 1975, the world stood by as Syria marched its soldiers into Lebanon. Syria's 35,000 troops in Lebanon are involved with trafficking in illegal drugs and transferring Iranian arms to anti-Israel terrorists. Syria has been on the U.S. State Department's terrorism list since its inception in 1979.

"Syria's occupation is a disaster for Lebanon. Every Lebanese citizen knows that the wishes of Damascus, not Beirut, determine Lebanon's fate. They know that Syria has never recognized Lebanon as a sovereign and independent state.

"The Syrian occupation violates international law, and hinders Middle East peacemaking. It is contrary to the spirit of the 1989 accord signed by Syria in Taif, Saudi Arabia, that recognized 'the aim of the Lebanese Government to impose its control over all of Lebanese land,' and the 1982 UN Security Council resolution calling for 'the withdrawal of all non-Lebanese forces from Lebanon.'

"The pretext for Syria's original intervention was a civil war among Lebanese religious factions. For much of the last decade, the Syrian rationale was Israel's presence in Southern Lebanon.

"But Lebanon's civil war is long over. And Israel's departure a year ago from the security zone it had patrolled to prevent guerilla attacks on Israeli citizens nullified the final excuse for Syrian occupation.

"Oppressed for a quarter century by Syrian occupation, the Lebanese yearn to write a new chapter of history: Lebanon for the Lebanese. It is long overdue for Lebanon to be master of its fate. It is long overdue for Syria, finally, to bring its troops home."

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org