IUSY resolution on Lebanon

Here the resolution adopted by the Mediterranean committee of IUSY last week-end. It was long and intense discussions but the outcome is good.
Lire la résolution traduite en Français ici.

Lebanon-A democracy under threat

The Cedar revolution, peacefully launched by March 14 movement in 2005 lead to the withdrawal of Syrian forces, organized elections that resulted in establishing the government of the new independent Lebanon headed by Fouad Siniora.

Recent events in Lebanon are threatening to break the already fragile country with continuous assassinations of government ministers, members of Parliament, journalists and political officials, and the latest of minister Pierre Gemayel. IUSY condemns the internal and external pressures practiced by both Syria and Iran in the attempts to destablise the government and use Lebanon once again as an open battlefield in the region.

IUSY expresses its great concern and desire to see the immediate end of all external interference as well as all the breaches of Lebanese sovereignty, independence and democracy.

Gathering in Crete for the Mediterranean Committee, IUSY wishes to the following:

IUSY fully supports the legitimately elected government of Lebanon, headed by Fouad Siniora, and calls for dialogue between all the parties to enlarge and consolidate a national consensus. IUSY reaffirms its solidarity with the March 14 Movement in its efforts to preserve the sovereignty and the independence of Lebanon, in the framework of its constitutional institutions set forth in the Taef Accords.

IUSY supports all UN resolutions related to Lebanon, including 1559, 1595, 1636, 1644, 1680 and 1701.

1701 is crucial for future stability in the region therefore it must be carefully and thoroughly implemented. Any attempt to violate it, including flights over Lebanese airspace and smuggling weapons from Syria, will seriously jeopardize any resolution to the current crisis and therefore must be ceased.

IUSY calls for the immediate release and safe return of the 2 kidnapped Israeli soldiers and proceed to the exchange of prisoners as stipulated by the UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

IUSY wishes to see Lebanon recover its full sovereignty over all its territories. IUSY also supports the Lebanese government’s efforts to negotiate with all parties under the Sinora 7 point plan through the national democratic and internal dialogue in order to extend its authority over its own legitimate armed forces’ so that there will be no weapons or authority other than the Lebanese state.

Primarily, the Lebanese Army must be fully enabled to protect the state and then facilitate through means of internal dialogue that the military wing of Hezbollah and all military groups are disbanded.

IUSY unconditionally supports the creation of an International Tribunal to judge those who committed crimes against the former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and his colleagues, as well as other assassinations committed before and after these murders, including that of the Industry Minister, Pierre Gemayel.

IUSY calls upon the international community to work towards a solution to the conflict over the jurisdiction of the Sheba Farms. IUSY supports the call to place it under United Nations jurisdiction, which we believe would allow for a regional dialogue as stipulated in initiatives such as the the Saudi Arabian initiative as a first step in diffusing the tension in the region and call upon both governments and the international community to ensure the well-being and security of both the Israeli and Lebanese people.

IUSY gives full support to the efforts for economic recovery, social reform and reconstruction in Lebanon and joins those international organizations in the call to use the Paris III Conference as a mechanism for this. IUSY also calls upon the international community to contribute to these efforts. Furthermore IUSY firmly believes that the European Union must play a key role in these actions.

IUSY calls upon the international community to assist Lebanon in ensuring the deliverance of the maps of the landmine fields on Lebanese territory and considers this to be a basic humanitarian act.

IUSY will continue to give full support to its member organization PYO and the Progressive Socialist party in their courageous efforts in ensuring a peaceful future for all Lebanese people.

IUSY recognizes that there is a need to address the broader context of the crisis in the region, which must be addressed as a part of a comprehensive effort to bring peace and stability to the region. IUSY recognizes that the international community faces two choices in the region, it can either make strong efforts to recuperate the peace process or choose to stand aside and allow for the degradation of democracy, stability and peace. Thus, we call upon the international community and the Middle Eastern States to organize an international conference on peace in the Middle East in order to prevent a further deepening of the current crisis. We believe that the aforementioned elements laid out in this declaration are the basis for the revitalization of a peace process between Israel, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.

Furthermore, given the high level of tension in the region, under the auspices of IUSY as a platform for dialogue, greater and consistent efforts should be made in order to optimize all opportunities for discussion amongst the IUSY member organizations in the region that would result in putting forth proposals for action in ensuring peace and stability in the region.