Lebanon, 2013

I would first

like to warmly congratulate you, Mr. President, on your

election to the presidency of the General Assembly at

its current session, and to express my full appreciation

to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban

Ki-moon, who has closely followed developments in the

situation in Lebanon.

I particularly wish to point out the presidential

statement issued by the Security Council on 10 July

(S/PRST/2013/9), which provides an effective road

map for what the international community can do to

help Lebanon in order to preserve its stability, promote

its institutions, support its economy and army and to

help it face the growing burden created by the refugees

entering from Syria. That is definitely the core objective

of the meeting of the International Support Group for

Lebanon, which will be launched tomorrow afternoon,

25 September.

Many countries represented here have witnessed

uprisings, civil wars or foreign aggression. Lebanon,

too, has experienced many wars, which have led to

influxes of numerous refugees in our territory. Against

all odds, the Lebanese have sought to assume the

responsibility for restoring the glory of our country

as a space for freedom and coexistence and to hallow

their presence in the East within the confines of a State

that embraced democracy from its very inception while

ensuring respect for diversity within unity as well as

personal and public freedoms.

Through dialogue, the Lebanese will continue

to develop their political system and improve their

democratic practices. They will have to remain

committed to the Baabda Declaration, which advocates

Lebanon distancing itself from regional crises and axis

politics. It is equally essential to reach an agreement

on a national strategy to ensure the exclusive defence

of Lebanon in the face of Israel’s hostility and ongoing

threats.

Nevertheless, however strong the Lebanese

commitment may be, we still require the care and

support of brotherly and friendly countries in order

to address the repercussions of external conflicts and

crises that threaten our security and stability and have

negative impacts on our socioeconomic situation. The

Lebanese look to assistance not only in the name of

brotherly solidarity and the shared responsibility of the

international community as a whole, but also in the face

of events that pose a threat to regional and international

security.

The first challenge is rooted in the repercussions

of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon’s security and

economy. An existential challenge has arisen, related

to the growing number of Syrian refugees on Lebanese

territory, which is far beyond Lebanon’s capacity to

assimilate them. The number of refugees has already

exceeded one quarter of the Lebanese population. As

the Assembly knows, Lebanon is a country of limited

geographical area and resources, as well as sensitive

balances.

Therefore, while we understand that it is not possible

to impose the impossible on nations, it is important

for me to reiterate my call on the States Members of

the United Nations to provide sufficient human and

financial resources to manage the presence of Syrian

refugees in Lebanon and meet their humanitarian

and essential needs, bearing in mind that the pledges

undertaken at the meeting of donor States hosted by the

State of Kuwait on 30 January have only been partially

fulfilled; to expand infrastructure and reception areas

for Syrian refugees within Syrian territories themselves

and organize an international conference on the issue

of Syrian refugees, with the aim of sharing the burden

among different countries in accordance with the

principle of shared responsibility while also assisting

the International Support Group for Lebanon; and to

garner support from all concerned States for the work

of the International Support Group. Of course, all of

that must take place while we work towards finding a

political solution for the Syrian crisis that will preserve

the unity of Syria.

Lebanon has called attention to the need to bring

to justice the perpetrators of the crimes that have been

committed. Solutions must be found to ensure that the

conflict does not spread to neighbouring countries.

Today, we have an opportunity to condemn all terrorist

attacks perpetrated anywhere in the world, particularly

in the Middle East.

I would like to comment on the attack that took

place upon the historic town of Maaloula. That attack

represents an assault on civilization and the tolerant

spirit of religions. That is why the international

community must adopt a firm stance in order to protect

such sites, in particular through the adoption of an

investigative mechanism that will assess the reality of

the situation on the ground.

We must work to encourage the countries of the

region currently engaged in conflict to ensure that the

logic of dialogue and negotiation prevails and to keep

Lebanon from getting involved in the Syrian conflict,

while encouraging those countries to contribute the

necessary assistance and support for the Baabda

Declaration, just as the Security Council has pledged

its support.

However, the main challenge that we face remains

the Arab-Israeli conflict and Israeli settlement policy

practices, not to overlook the difficulties created by it

in terms of refugee flows. The settlement policy has

fostered a sense of frustration and a tendency towards

extremism. Lebanon has been affected by the daily

Israeli attacks against Lebanon and its infrastructure

through the use of all sorts of prohibited weapons.

Lebanon has paid a high price for those acts of

aggression, with all that implies in terms of the burden

on human lives and destruction. It therefore falls upon

the international community to work to find a fair and

comprehensive solution to the conflict in the Middle

East, particularly with respect to the Palestinian cause,

pursuant to the terms of reference of the Madrid

Conference and the Arab Peace Initiative. Stability,

democracy and moderation will not prevail in the

Middle East unless justice is done in Palestine, based

on the belief that the security of the Arab region and

the preservation of its cultural diversity are of strategic

importance.

Lebanon calls for the adoption of an integrated

comprehensive approach that includes the participation

of all States concerned and addresses all aspects of the

Israeli-Arab conflict. At the same time, no solution

should be taken at the expense of its superior interests.

As a result, Lebanon will reject any compromise

attempting to force an influx of Palestinian refugees

on its territory.

In this transitional period where the Arab world

is undergoing major historic upheaval and deep-

wrought changes, the world as a whole is witnessing an

fundamentl structural transformation due to the amazing

scientific progress that has been achieved, in particular

in the fields of communication and information. That

progress will contribute to globalization in all aspects of

life. We must therefore convey a spirit of pluralism and

diversity within all societies as a necessary condition in

order to match the accelerating pace of change.

However, the regimes that run the affairs of peoples

and societies have unfortunately not undergone a

corresponding evolution at the intellectual level. On the

contrary, we have witnessed conflicts exacerbated by

extremist terrorism continue to spring forth fuelled by

isolationism that rejects dialogue, mutual recognition

and coexistence. That has even led some to call for

the return to religious emirates and racial segregation.

In order to do so, those groups have applied violent

methods that flout peace and public freedoms.

Amid those unilateral fundamentalist tendencies,

Lebanon remains a laboratory and a model of necessary

coexistence for the future. That model must be allowed

to benefit from support and stability because, as it has

for decades, it has led to the education of students in our

schools and universities and caused the security forces

to fulfil their national missions in military camps in a

spirit of unity. It is a model that is also experienced by

the citizens on a daily basis on the streets of our cities,

towns and in our capital, in the theatres, clubs, at the

movies, in public and private institutions and in civil

society organizations. The model, which has become

a lifestyle, is lived with the sound of the church bells

and the voices of the mosques’ muezzins ringing in

our ears, in particular at joint celebrations, the most

significant of which is the Common Religious National

Day, celebrated on the day of the Annunciation on

25 March of every year, when everyone is urged to seek

the common good.

The management of diversity and the building of

a culture of justice, peace and coexistence between

cultures, civilizations and religions requires that we all

make efforts at the following three levels.

First, we must work to improve the political,

financial and social systems that govern the affairs

of peoples worldwide, in particular the democratic

system, to make them more humane and better suited

to diversity. This must be done in such a way so as to

guarantee the involvement of all components of society,

in particular minorities, in political life and in the

management of public affairs in all States, regardless

of what ratio of the population such minorities may

represent, but, rather, on the basis of their capacity and

heritage.

Secondly, we must consider the preservation of an

active presence on the part of minorities worldwide,

with all the civilizations and specific characteristics

that they represent, to be an international responsibility,

especially in the Middle East. The Middle East is the

cradle of the monotheistic religions, whose peoples

have coexisted for centuries, forged civilizations

and enriched the history of humankind through their

culture and the values of tolerance, goodwill and

friendship. That shared responsibility cannot be based

on international interests in that part of the world while

ignoring the communities living there. Rather, it should

take into account the interests of all of those minorities

and their right to participate in all aspects of the life of

their nation, as they are an integral part of its fabric.

Thirdly, there is a need to intensify ongoing efforts

aimed at reforming and developing the United Nations

and its specialized agencies, so as to bring them into

line with current realities and restore confidence in their

capacity to resolve international issues, counter crime

and adopt the appropriate resolutions and implement

them without obstruction, free from selectivity and

the policy of double standards. That would be an

alternative to the logic of legitimate force that may be

used by peoples whose countries have fallen victim to

aggression and occupation, in the absence of a capable,

guaranteed international mechanism.

For its part, Lebanon will remain faithful to

the message of freedom and coexistence that are its

hallmark, reiterating its commitment to implementing

all decisions of international legitimacy and to upholding

the spirit of moderation and agreement upon which

Lebanon was founded. It will also remain an active

partner in the context of the promotion of a culture of

justice, peace and sustainable human development.