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ALC STATEMENT ON THE RECENT VISIT TO SYRIA BY MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS
(American Lebanese Coalition)
- January 3,
2008 -
The American
Lebanese Coalition strongly deplores the latest visit to
Syria by Members of Congress on December 30, 2007.
Statements from
both visitors, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) and
Representative Patrick Kennedy (D- RI) conveyed promising
messages from the Baathist Regime of Syria and the dictator
Bashar Assad on Syrian readiness for peace in the Middle
East, on Syrian recognition of Lebanese sovereignty and
willingness to facilitate a solution for the current crisis
through its Lebanese allies, on Assad’s decision to release
political prisoners starting with seven detainees whose
names were disclosed by Congressman Kennedy.
But the
Baathist Assad regime was quick to deny making any of these
promises, thus dissipating the hope for a change in its
vicious behavior. Syrian Officials bluntly stated that:
• “there is
doubt about progress on peace in the Middle East”
• “Syria will
not pressure its Lebanese allies into changing their stance
regarding the current political crisis in Lebanon”
• “President
Assad never discussed releasing prisoners from Syrian jails
with his American visitors”.
For many of us
who are familiar with the conduct of the Baathist Assad
regime, this comes as no surprise at all. Scores of
diplomats, envoys and politicians from all over the world
have been trying for more than thirty years to instigate a
change in the behavior of the Syrian Regime only to realize
that every attempt to engage the Syrian dictatorship
resulted in more hardening of its stance. It was the French
President Sarkozy who witnessed this firsthand the past few
weeks, which led him to announce on December 30, 2007 that :
“France will stop all contact with Syria, until Syria starts
acting, not just talking”.
In the
meantime, the Baathist Assad regime is still sending fanatic
radicals into Iraq to kill American soldiers and Iraqi
citizens, is still transferring weapons, ammunitions and
fighters into Lebanon to stir violence and death among the
Lebanese, is still harboring and supporting terrorist
groups, like Hezbollah, Hamas and many others, and is still
abusing the fundamental freedoms of the Syrian people.
It is time for
all our Representatives in Congress to strongly condemn this
criminal regime, to actively consider further sanctions
against it, and to cease all contact with it until it stops
eliciting the killings of our soldiers in Iraq, ceases
violating the sovereignty of Lebanon and illegally detaining
Lebanese citizens in Syrian jails, ends its abuses of the
rights of Syrian citizens, halts its support for terrorists
in the region, and sincerely strive for peace and stability
in the Middle East.
Until then,
continuing to engage this tyrant regime and to visit with
its leaders is akin to encouraging its crimes against
humanity. |
