Lebanon, 1983

288. I wish first to thank all

heads of delegation who have spoken with empathy and

with concern for my country, Lebanon. I sincerely hope

that a reunited and reinvigorated Lebanon will promote

the great causes to which they all contribute.

I am pleased to congratulate the President on his

election to the presidency of the thirty-eighth session. My

congratulations acquire special significance in view of the

close relations existing between our two countries, as well

as the traditional ties of friendship and co-operation

that characterize relations between Latin America and

Lebanon.

290. I wish to express appreciation to the President's

predecessor, Mr. Imre Hollai, for the able manner in

Which he presided over the thirty-seventh session.

291. I also wish to pay a warm tribute to the Secretary-

General for Ms dedicated work on behalf of peace. His

clear vision of the international community and of the

United Nations peace-keeping and peace-keeping capabilities, his human and diplomatic Qualities and the

Competent way in which he guides the work of the Organization is alt worthy of our highest esteem.

292. My delegation has carefully studied the report of

the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization

We express our support for the valuable comments and observations in this report, especially those

relating to the endeavours to enhance the effectiveness

of the Security Council and strengthen the United Nations

peace-keeping operations, whose missions and objectives

are set by the Security Council.

293. My delegation specifically supports the Secretary-

General's proposal to dispatch fact-finding missions to

areas of tension, to prevent possible conflicts which could

endanger international peace and security.

294. Our agenda this year is replete with increasingly

complex and still unresolved problems affecting internal-

tonal peace. Lebanon, a founding member of the United

Nations and a nation sensitive to the problems of other

nations, finds itself once more In the vortex of the storm.

We are therefore compelled to focus on our own problems, sine it is our nation's very existence that is in danger.

295. One year ago, at the thirty-seventh session, President Amin Gemmate stated here:

"... we have had enough; enough of bloodshed,

enough of destruction, enough of dislocation and

despond. We have paid the high price of war. We should

not pay an additional price for Pease. As a Member

of the United Nations we want our rights to be restored

to us." This appeal of yesterday is still our appeal of today, for

we Lebanese desperately need peace and security with

freedom and justice. Furthermore, it is our right, indeed

our responsibility, to explain our case to the Assembly

and to absolve ourselves before the court of history, lest

misunderstanding of the Lebanese problem usher the

region into a war that could threaten the existing order

in the globally pivotal Middle East.

296. There is a great deal of ideological propaganda that

insists that Lebanon will always be in turmoil, that Lebanon can never contribute to civilized and purposeful

lives. Those who maintain these absurdities see their

interests best served in conflict and confrontation; they

would feel lost and purposeless in a society of civilized,

co-operative and peace-loving nations. They insist that

Lebanon will always remain intractable, hoping thereby

to dissuade the United Nations from exercising its peaceful role or friendly Powers from extending a sympathetic,

helping hand.

297. In the face of this propaganda and through eight

years of bloodshed, economic ruin and foreign intervention of every sort, it is proof of our inevitable viability

as a nation that no Lebanese faction has ever entertained

the idea of partition or secession. The Lebanese people

are absolutely committed to a unified and independent

Lebanon. What the Lebanese people share is a precious?

experience in democratic government, unique in the Arab

world. Until war broke out, Lebanon was the cultural

and economic capital of the Middle East, the meeting

place of Arab and Western intellectuals, the centre for

international trade and a precocious example

of successful, peaceful democratic government.

298. In 1975, as the society of civilized States looked

on, this young democracy succumbed to a host of Arab-

Israeli, inter-Arab and East-West tensions. To be sure,

Lebanon, take other heterogeneous societies, had its share

of internal tensions, but the virtue of democracy is that

it can remind these tensions peacefully, unlike other forms

of government which can only resist and suppress them.

299. We stand before the world asking for an opportunity to be left to ourselves in order to allow our democratic ways to resolve the tensions in our nation. This

request is in no way Utopian or unreasonable, for many

of the oldest and most stable Member States of the

Organization—European, Asian and American—have

experienced similarly tumultuous and dangerous periods

in their past as they forged heterogeneous populations

into unified, modern nation States. Thus, in addition to

our courage, determination and faith, historical precedent

is on our side.

300. in Lebanon, a pluralistic society is attempting to

reach mature nationhood. The contours of religions and

faiths are being redefined in order to conform to the

requirements of the modern State. The political philosophy of a traditional society is adjusting to the realties

of super-Power conflict, pervasive ideologies, supranational mass movements and modern military threats.

of Host third world nations, and to understand and

successfully treat the problems of Lebanon would be to

avert similar uncertainty and conflict in the third world

of the next few decades.

30. Lebanon today finds itself occupied by three regular armies and by surrogate fighting forces attached to

these armies. Israel occupies about one third of Lebanese

territory, in the area under its control it raises local armies

and militias; it trains them, equips them and provides

them with logistical support. Israel declares to the world

that it understands Lebanon and wants to save it, yet it

proceeds to act in a manner that wilts idea to its destruction. To the Jewish people, who have tasted the bitter

pill of destruction, we now proclaim in this international

forum "Let your actions match your words. You wanted

security for your northern frontiers. You have got that

security in the proposed agreement". In the light of

emerging political facts we urge Israel to reconsider the

obstacles which are making the implementation of the

agreement difficult.

302. Syria effectively controls about one half of Lebanese territory. Its army no longer enjoys the umbrella of

legitimacy that the Lebanese Government had provided

since 1976. No one will deny that Syrian forces have

played a balancing role in the past in the raging international conflicts fought on Lebanese territory, but this is

no longer the case. The prolongation of a Syrian military

presence In Lebanon is likely to exacerbate relations

between Lebanon and Syria, and It works to the disadvantage of both, in the Syrian-held territory of Lebanon,

Palestinians, Iranians, Libyans and a number of local

organizations, armed and directed by the Syrians, have

been pitted against the forces of the legitimately Constituted Government. Clearly, Syria and Lebanon have

many inseparable interests, some of which have increased

greatly in the past seven years. Cleary, the relations

between Lebanon and Syria were and still are destined

to be qualitatively closer than the relations between Lebanon and any other country in the Middle East. Lebanon

has made it abundantly clear that it intends to cultivate

these relations, to address our common interests and to

work with Syria in the promotion of ideals which the

peoples of the two countries share. Now Lebanon calls

upon Syria to extend a helping hand, to give meaning

and substance to the bond of brotherhood that ties the

Arab States toga her. We expect Syria to withdraw its

forces in a manner that will promote Lebanon's sovereignty while at the same time addressing Syria's security concerns.

303. Palestinian fighters in Lebanon are now based near Tripoli in the north and near Baalbek in the east. Together with Other elements and some local militias supported by external forces, they were directly Involved in

fighting the Lebanese Army and in preventing it from

extending its authority in the area recently evacuated by

the Israelis. Since 1970 Lebanon has been the base for

military actions by the PLO against Israel, actions which

led to successive air raids by Israel and two invasions of

Lebanon, in 1978 and 1982, the second of which led to

Israeli occupation of south Lebanon. The Lebanese, more

than any other people in the Arab world, gave the Palestinians the opportunity to experiment with all types of

methodologies to reclaim their legitimate rights. If they

have failed to do so it is not for lack of good will on the

part of Lebanon. Now, however, neither Lebanon nor

the Palestinians wishes to perpetuate a tragedy which

may translate itself into havoc not only for the Lebanese

but also for the Palestinian civilian population in Lebanon as well. We therefore call on the PLO to reciprocate

the good will it has enjoyed from the Lebanese by withdrawing its fighters, as its leaders had agreed to do. To

the Palestinians whose presence in Lebanon is legal we

say that we recommit ourselves to them in this world

forum and reaffirm that they wish enjoy all rights and

privileges provided by the taw. They will thus be able to

resume a normal and secure item, unequalled in its freedom and its cultural implications in any other country

of the Middle East.

304. Thus a Lebanon afflicted by forces from beyond

its frontiers proclaims to the Assembly in word and in

deed its readiness to accommodate what these forces

claim to be equitable, fair and just to them. We are ready

to reason with alt, clinging to what is our own, while

allowing to the limits of rationally and liberality what

others claim to be their interest in what is our own.

305. Because of our legal rights under the Charter of

the United Nations, under international law and under

the rules of civilized existence, we feel justified in calling

upon the moral conscience of mankind, represented

in the Assembly, to save this valiant and beleaguered

democracy.

307. Lebanon, because of its pluralistic society, its

democratic form of government and its geographical

location, has become the centre of conflicting policies in the region. Lebanon is, in effect, reaping the fruits of all that has gone wrong in Middle East politics in the past 50 years, or of all the policies that have failed to acquire legitimate status in the fluctuating order of the Middle East politics. To allow Lebanon to flounder in its present course is to aggravate the conflicts of the region and to export them beyond its frontiers into Syria, Iraq and the Gulf States, which are also, like Lebanon, mixed societies whose elements could be ignited by the fires of ideological passion.

308. Palestinian refugees flooded Lebanon in the wake of the establishment of Israel, and in time the refugees became fighters challenging not only Israel but the very liberal Lebanese order that allowed them to thrive. Syria, in its confrontation with Israel, has become highly militarized and impatient with Lebanon's liberal regime. Revolutionary Arab States exploited Lebanon's pluralistic structure and encouraged the rise of movements and parties whose objectives were in conflict with the broad-based consensus on which the Lebanese pluralistic, democratic order is based.

309. When others were busy mobilizing masses, building

armies and concentrating power in ruling Elites, the Lebanese were contributing to peace and excelling in trade

and finance, in education and health and in the promotion of the arts and the fine things of life. Perhaps in ail

this we underestimated the necessity of building a strong

State, strong institutions and a strong national army.

Lebanon's sin, if sin it be, is that it was too free in a region

where freedom was not appreciated, too Iberia in a region

known for its powerful regimes and too permissive of acts

and thoughts that openly sought to undermine the very

system that nurtured them.

310. it has now learned its lesson. it will continue to

cherish freedom, but will not permit it to deteriorate into

anarchy; it will continue to uphold Iberia, pluralistic

values but not at the expense of a strong and vibrant

nation State; it will tolerate, at indeed cultivate, diversity of thought and organization, but within the dear cut confines of the unity of the State, the unity of the

people and the unity of governmental institutions.

3. Lebanon's wars is a regional war with international

dimensions. The different communities of Lebanon were

forced by political and military facts costing about them

to take sides. n conflicts involving the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Syrians, virtually no community was

allowed the freedom to be truly neutral and truly Lebanese. Only after the battier had raged for some time did

the Lebanese begin to realize what was actually happening

oh their land. When the realization was complete, they

rallied to the cause of Lebanon and tried to extricate it

from the web of forces in which it had become entangled.

Accordingly the duly elected Parliament, one of the few

truly representative parliaments in the Middle East, freely

and unanimously elected Amin Gemayel to the presidency. The Parliament represents all communities, all

regions, all political trends in the country. When Lebanon

signed an agreement regarding the withdrawal of Israeli

forces from Lebanon, only two members of Parliament

cast their votes against it. An impressive national consensus exists to end the wars of others on our land, to

remove all non-Lebanese forces from the country and to

stand behind the President in his efforts to liberate, unite

and develop Lebanon.

312. A year ago we asked the Twelfth Arab Summit

Conference, held at Fez, to acknowledge Lebanon's decision to remove Israeli, Syrian and PLO forces from Lebanon. In early spring we asked the Seventh Conference

of Heads of state or Government of Non-Aligned Counties, at New Delhi, to support Lebanon's right to get all

non-Lebanese forces out of the country. The agreement

reached in May 1983 between Lebanon and Israel under

United States sponsorship requires Israel to withdraw

fully from Lebanon. Recently, President Gemayel sent letters to President Assad and to Mr. Arafat asking them

to withdraw their armed forces from Lebanon.

313. The Security Council has repeatedly reaffirmed our

right to extend our sovereignty throughout our land. Since

1978 the United Nations has maintained UNIFIL in the

south, a force which against heavy odds has upheld

Lebanon's legitimate rights in the area of its operation,

providing security and hope to the local population. To

the counters contributing to this force we express our

deep gratitude.

314. We are deeply grateful to the United States,

France, Italy and the United Kingdom for their peace-

keeping forces in our country and for the support they

are giving the Government in attaining its broad objectives. Lebanon must pay a special tribute to President

Reagan, who has wholeheartedly committed himself to

helping Lebanon regain its unity, sovereignty and independence. In the past week the efforts of the United States

and of Saudi Arabia, in quiet and intensive diplomacy

between Beirut and Damascus, have led to a cease-fire

which we hope will end the bloodshed and start the

political process of conciliating conflicts and interests.

We are grateful to the United States and to Saudi Arabia

and to their able diplomats who worked tirelessly in

achieving the cease-fire. We now look to the United

Nations to help us establish the mechanism that can

adequately supervise it. We hope that this urgent and

humane objective will have the enthusiastic support of

ail Members of the Organization.

315. In short, Lebanon's message to the General Assembly is this: help us remove all non-Lebanese forces from

our country, and Lebanon on its own will resolve its

internal tensions and resume its valuable position as a

contributor to world peace and international prosperity,

both cultural and economic.

316. The Middle East is undoubtedly a region fraught

with conflicts, but of all the problems of the region the

Lebanese problem is the most crucial and therefore the

most urgent. The Iran-Iraq war poses a danger to the

stability of the Oaf. Soviet-American rivalry in the

Middle East endangers the delicate international balance

of power. The Palestinian problem poses a threat to peace

in the Arab East. The Arab-Israel problem threatens the

State system in the region. And, finally, there is the

problem of radical minority movements and the danger

they pose to a stable social order in the area.

317. If dialogue and diplomacy can succeed in Lebanon

this success will breed other successes, and the parties to

the effort Will gain credibility and momentum and go on

to resolve other problems. If Lebanon fails, every society

from Morocco in the west to the Guff States in the east

will be threatened. Now the world looks on as the battier

between order and anarchy rages; every regime in the

region awaits its outcome. If there is any crisis

whose consequences spies the beginning or the end of an

era, it is the Lebanese crisis. In a the historical sense

Lebanon's crisis is axial and future events will be judged

by what was done or left undone at this juncture.

318. Lebanon is doing the impose within the limited

means at its disposal. The Government exercises effective

control over barely 15 per cent of the territory, and yet

the people, irrespective of the force that exercises control

over them, are overwhelmingly with the Government.

President Gemayel has called again and again on all

leaders of the opposition to joining a dialogue that will

establish the precipices on which the new Lebanon will

be founded. Now a dialogue committee has been established and efforts are under way to convene it as soon

as possible. The stage has been set for the formation of

a Government of national unity and the opposition has

been invited to participate in it.

319. We have in the past year built an army committed

to the impartial defence of the entire Lebanese polity, an

army of all the people, for all the people. The cohesion

of the army in the past month is a reflection of the

cohesion that holds Lebanese society together irrespective

by outsiders. We have given peace and order to the city

of Beirut, the only area exclusively under Government

authority. Where the Government holds sway, the different communities in peace as one family, and no one looks askance at his neighbour.

320. In speaking to the Assembly about Lebanon I am

speaking of a subject not unfamiliar to representatives.

For over 100 years Lebanese have been emigrating to the

Far East, to South-East Asia, to Australia, to New Zealand, to Africa, to the Americas and, more recently, to

Europe at the Gulf States. Ambitious and daring Lebanese have been responsible for great intellectual, artistic

and developmental achievements in the new lands that

they have made their homes. In most of the countries

represented in the Assembly Lebanese hold key positions

in government, education and business. They left their

native country in search of a dream, the dream of excelling and of giving their progeny more, much more, than

they had themselves. I also know, however, of the dreams

of the Lebanese today in the tortured land of Lebanon.

They are simple dreams. Most representatives would be

surprised that they are called dreams at all. Tate Lebanese

dream of leading simple, ordinary lives. They dream of

returning to their cities, to their towns, to their visages.

They dream of opening their shops in the morning and

closing them in the evening. They dream of harvesting

their crops, of sending their children to school and of

welcoming them home in the evening. They dream of

peaceful walks to the village spring. They dream of

gathering as the sun goes down at recounting ordinary

stories and ordinary events in an ordinary life. They

dream of what others take for granted.

321. I bring with me the aspirations of a beleaguered

people. My voice encompasses the voice of tens of thousands of men, women and children who have lost their

lives in a merciless international conflict.

322. What I ask of the international community assembled in this Hall is to help the Lebanese nation secure

the normal, the minimum, conditions of national existence. The Lebanese people themselves are anxious to

achieve the rest. The Lebanese are a capable, inventive

and industrious people. They will not succumb to the

rages of international chaos and conflict but will mould

a stronger and deeper national entity out of the suffering

that they have endured. We like to think that we are not

alone in this struggle, and we look to our brothers in the

society of nations for encouragement, assistance and

support.