The FPM, letter to President Bill Clinton
(In relation to his meeting with Syrian president Hafez Assad)
The following are some excerpts from the letter:
" Honorable president of the United states:
As you meet on Sunday March 26, 2000 in Geneva with the president of Syria, we can only praise your outstanding strong willingness to achieve peace in the Middle East, a region that has only known bloody conflicts for the past 50 years.
We strongly believe that peace between peoples and nations is a better choice than the choice of war, and it certainly is more than a mere truce; it is a final agreement based on the mutual recognition of everyone’s right to freedom, security and various internationally recognized human rights.
President Yasser Arafat will not give up the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and he is getting closer to the announcement of an independent Palestinian nation based on an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israeli prime minister Yehud Barak is well on his way to end the Israeli-Arab conflict and he believes that a peace agreement with Syria will guarantee the security of the Northern part of Israel, thus removing the last obstacle preventing the normalization of relations with most Arab countries. In addition Israel, having achieved peace, will be able to obtain more foreign aid from the international community.
Syrian president Hafez Assad wants to regain control over the Golan Heights, secure guarantees for his successor, his son Bashar, in addition to guaranteeing his share of the economic boon which will follow peace in the region. He wants to also secure his military and political grip over Lebanon.
As for Lebanon, we have no illusions that a peaceful solution between rival nations can only be based on an intricate combination of historical and geographical givens and on a complex balance of forces as well as a certain diplomatic ability which will create new allies in the region.
What the Lebanese are apprehensive of and what they strongly reject is an imbalance in power which will lead to a solution at the expense of Lebanon and that of its rights as a people and as a nation.
The opportunity for a historical resolution to the conflict is also a unique opportunity to find an equitable solution for all. For Lebanon, peace is a matter of existence and the sooner it happens the more Lebanon will be able to avoid further losses and damage. However any resolution of the conflict which does not guarantee Lebanon’s national sovereignty, freedom and independence, in accordance with UN resolutions 425 and 520, will be a solution void of all basis of justice and will be rejected by the people of Lebanon."
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