Posted on 02/15/2005 9:28:49 PM PST by Destro
How Come Syria Controls Lebanon?
Why the neighbors are calling the shots.
By Daniel Engber
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2005, at 4:08 PM PT
Accounts of the Monday assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri have invariably included some version of the phrase, "Syria virtually controls Lebanon." How did the Syrians get control of Lebanon?
The Lebanese president invited them. In 1976, a little more than a year after the start of Lebanon's bloody civil war, the Maronite Christian president, Ilyas Sarkis, requested military aid from Syria. The war was a struggle among religious and ethnic groups in Lebanon—the ruling Christians wanted to maintain power over the Sunnis, Shiites, and Druzes, and to evict the large population of Palestinians that had just been expelled from Jordan. Syrian troops entered the country on June 1, 1976, and beat back both Palestinian forces and Soviet-backed Muslim militias. A few months later, the Arab League attempted to enforce a cease-fire by creating the Arab Deterrent Force, a Syrian-dominated military presence in Lebanon.
Syria's direct influence declined over the next 10 years of civil war, especially as Israel was drawn into the conflict when Palestinians began to attack it from southern Lebanon. By 1978, the Christian factions had split from the Syrians and forced them out of East Beirut, and in 1982, the Israelis pushed the Syrians into the northern part of the country. There they worked with Shiite Muslims to promote resistance to the Israeli occupation. When Israel began to withdraw, the Syrians regained some direct control. In 1987, they re-entered Muslim West Beirut. (The Israelis finally left southern Lebanon in 2000.)
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.msn.com ...
Isn`t there a ( useless )U.N. resolution which states Syria is to pull its troops out of Lebanon?
Funny how that was left out of the article.
Great post, thanks. Saving the original URL to favorites to send young adults to when they ask what Syria has to do with Lebanon (a depressing number don't even KNOW Syria controls Lebanon, let alone why)
Well I notice the mention of the fact that Syria may have had something to do with the assassination is not here, but it is 'here':
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/02/20050215-4.html
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
The James S. Brady Briefing Room Q The fact that the U.S. has recalled Ambassador Scobey from Syria, is that an indication that you believe that Syria was involved in yesterday's attack in Beirut?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Ambassador Scobey met with Syrian officials, I believe, yesterday, and delivered a very clear message about what our concerns are. Secretary Rice has decided to recall Ambassador Scobey for consultations and that's what will be taking place. She will be leaving Syria and coming back for consultations here.
Yesterday's attack was a disturbing development and we've made it clear to Syria that we expect Syria to act in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolution calling for the withdrawal of all foreign troops and the disbanding of militias. We also have made it very clear to Syria that we want them to use their influence to prevent the kind of terrorist attack that took place yesterday from happening.
Q But, sorry, again, just to pursue this a little further -- you don't recall an ambassador unless you're showing displeasure with the country in which that ambassador is stationed. So what sort of displeasure are you demonstrating here with Syria by recalling Ambassador Scobey?
MR. McCLELLAN: We've had a number of serious concerns about Syria's behavior. We want to see Syria change its behavior and play a constructive role in the region. And we want to see Syria take steps to use their influence to prevent terrorist attacks from happening in the first place. That's what we've made clear -- Syria and their troop presence in Lebanon is a destabilizing force in the region.
Q So are you suggesting that they didn't take steps to prevent this car bombing and this assassination, or that they may have had some involvement?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, in terms of the terrorist attack that took place yesterday on former Prime Minister Hariri, that is a matter that's being discussed at the United Nations Security Council; they're having discussions about it. We are very much a part of those discussions; we've been working very closely with our French counterparts at the United Nations to discuss this matter with the rest of the Security Council. I think that's going on as we speak. They're talking about what measures may need to be taken, and we'll let that meeting take place first.
In terms of the investigation, I don't have any update in terms of the investigation of who was responsible for carrying out this horrible terrorist attack on former Prime Minister Hariri. What I do want to make clear is that Syria's troop presence in Lebanon is a destabilizing force. The people of Lebanon should be allowed to control their future free from outside interference and free from terrorism.
The PLO marched in in 1975 and wreaked havoc on Christian villages like Damour. There has been no peace there since.
Funny you should mention the UN : the Security COuntil is preparing to pass a "strongly worded" (and of course useless) resolution demanding Syria explain whetehr it was involved in Hariri's assassination. I'm getting readty to go back to my old tag line.
That resolution is just as useless as Security Resolution 242.
It's been my observation over the last 25 years, Lebanese self rule equates to anarchy.
...... because they make a crap load of money of processing drugs????
The Syrian government is run by the Alawite minority which are a weird sub-branch of Islam that are considered heretics and non-Muslims by other Muslims; a lot of Christian traditions and habits among the Alawi, actually.
Probably no country in the world has killed more Islamic fundamentalists than Syria, oddly enough..the huge massacres of Hama, etc.
Doesn't matter which faction Syria came to "help". The faact is they never left and made Lebanon into a satellite country of Syria - Soviet style. They accepted the plea for help to serve Syria, not Lebanon, not Christians. Period.
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