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LEBANON
Remove Syrian army
Bishops call for pull-out
A Syrian official has said that his country would not remove soldiers from Lebanon as Maronite Catholic bishops have demanded.
Information Minister Adnan Omran said his country’s troops had originally entered Lebanon to save Christians from Muslims during the country’s 1975-90 civil war. “When a certain Lebanese sect was subjected to a real genocide, Syria sent its troops . . . to protect brothers from annihilation,” Omran told reporters in Beirut.
A group of bishops, led by Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, had recently demanded that Syria pull its 35,000 troops out of Lebanon. Omran said Syria came to Lebanon “to stop sectarian fighting and to dispel sectarian hatred and has since offered dear sacrifices to reestablish security and stability in Lebanon.”
The bishops have said that since Israel pulled its soldiers out of southern Lebanon in May, Syria should follow suit. Lebanese newspapers said Patriarch Sfeir would embark on a diplomatic offensive to plead for a Syrian withdrawal.
President Emile Lahoud rejected the call and described the Syrian presence as temporary. “The Syrian presence in Lebanon is legitimate and temporary; discussing this issue depends on our strategic national interests,” Lahoud said. “The timing of this discussion should also take into consideration Israel’s reluctance to achieve a comprehensive and just peace.”
Lahoud also criticized the impatience of Christian factions at the continuing control of the country by Muslim Syria. “Recent positions do not help the real national dialogue (and have) viewed the Lebanese situation from a narrow angle without objectivity and encouraged sectarian instincts,” he said.
Back to Catholic World Report November 2000 Table of Contents