Democratic Palestine : 33 (ص 19)
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- Democratic Palestine : 33 (ص 19)
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that Syria should play a basic role in an
Arab solution on the basis of maintain-
ing Lebanon’s territorial integrity,
sovereignty and independence. Inter-
nationalization would only complicate
the Lebanese crisis further.
Only France has come out in direct
support of Aoun. French officials have
publicly demanded the withdrawal of
Syrian troops from Lebanon, and urg-
ed the US and Western Europe to join
France in helping Lebanon’s
«beleaguered Christian community,»
disregarding the fact that this com-
munity is beleaguered as a result of the
suicidal projects of Aoun and his ilk
who claim to represent the Christians.
French President Francois Mitterand
said, «The Christians’ lives are in
danger... whoever the threatened
minority might be, we don’t accept that
it is the victim of this situation.» French
Foreign Minister Dumas stated, «I
called on UN Secretary General Javier
Perez De Cuellar concerning the need
for convening the Security Council if
the six-man Arab committee has failed
in its efforts.» In accordance with this
view, the French government sent ships
to Lebanon with the intention of aiding
only those in East Beirut where Aoun
rules. This provided the excuse for
French officials to issue threats, as
when the French envoy to Lebanon,
Jean-Francois Deniau, warned that
opening fire of French ships «would be
an act of war against France.»
France’s dispatch of two ships loaded
with fuel, food and medical supplies to
East Beirut caused the nationalist and
progressive forces to accuse France of
After 15 years the civil war continues.
bias towards Aoun’s project, and to
warn against these ships docking. Ac-
ting Prime Minister Hoss expressed
shock at France’s biased position, and
demanded that this position be clarified
and balanced before France delivered
aid to Lebanon. As a result of moun-
ting criticism, and the failure of other
powers to support internationalization
moves, Mitterand was forced to modify
the French stand, stating on April 12th,
that France wants to be the friend of all
the Lebanese people, and that the
humanitarian aid is meant as a sign of
friendship and solidarity with the
Lebanese people.
Whatever the intentions of the
French government, its position has
objectively served to encourage Aoun
to carry on his criminal war.
CEASE—FIRE?
The situation in Lebanon appeared at
a deadlock in the latter part of April,
and there was almost a week of calm
until April 25th, when Aoun’s forces
resumed their shelling of the nationalist
areas on the eve of the Arab League
foreign ministers’ meeting in Tunis.
The meeting adopted resolutions calling
for an immediate, lasting cease-fire and
lifting the blockade of the ports, airport
and land crossings. For an interim
period not to exceed three months.
The six-man Arab committee will work
to find a lasting solution for the crisis in
cooperation with all Lebanese parties.
The resolutions also called for setting
up an observer force drawn from Arab
armies to monitor the cease-fire, the
lifting of blockades and the opening of
crossing points between East and West
Beirut.
Though both sides have nominally
accepted the ceasefire, its success re-
mains uncertain. Surely Aoun’s accep-
tance of the cease-fire is tactical,
decided in the light of his failure so far
to achieve concrete gains, despite hav-
ing unleashed a war of unbearable
hardships on the Lebanese people. In
early May, the ceasefire did go into ef-
fect, but only to be disrupted by four
days of murderous shelling, until being
reestablished on May 10th. However,
the real test will come when the discus-
sions about a more lasting solution get
underway. The war can be renewed at
any time since the positions of the two
contending sides remain basically the
same - Aoun having not relinguished
his sectarian project, and the rest of
Lebanon still refusing to submit to sec-
tarian domination.
THE ISRAELI ANGLE
Aoun’s war harmonizes with the
plans of the Zionist state to keep
Lebanon weak and divided through
continuing sectarian wars. Israel is the
prime benefactor of Aoun’s sectarian
project which serves to prolong de factc
partition. The war in Lebanon serves to
divert attention from the Palestinian
uprising in the occupied territories, and
from the continued Zionist occupation
in South Lebanon and daily aggression
on the people there. The ongoing
struggle of the Lebanese National
Resistance against the Israeli occupiers
and their allies in the South Lebanon
Army, is thus part of the efforts to op-
pose Aoun’s sectarian project. Accor-
dingly, efforts to resolve the Lebanese
crisis must be directed towards ending
the Israeli occupation, while enacting
democratic reform in the Lebanese
political system. At the same time, it is
difficult to imagine a really just, lasting
solution for the Lebanese crisis isolated
from a comprehensive solution to the
Middle East conflict. Thus, creating a
democratic Lebanon is one aspect of
the ongoing struggle against the plans
of imperialism, Zionism and _ reac-
tionary forces in the area, and this
struggle must be based on the unity of
the nationalist and progressive forces.@
Sources for this article include the Lebanese daily
Al Safir, the Palestinian weekly Al Hadaf, the
Arabic magazine Al Mostaqbal and AP news
bulletins.
19 - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 33
- تاريخ
- يونيو ١٩٨٩
- المنشئ
- الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين
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