(Washington, DC) - U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) today led the House of Representatives to pass of his resolution calling for strong U.S. support for the government of Lebanon by a vote of 415 to 2. Ackerman, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, made the following statement on the floor of the House during consideration of the measure.

“Mr. Speaker, what's been happening in Lebanon is extreme aggression in the classic sense of the word. Through a campaign of assassinations targeting Lebanese parliamentarians and political figures; bombings in public places; threats to establish an alternative extra-constitutional government; and the instigation of a jihadi insurgency by the Fatah al-Islam, Syria, Iran and their boot-licking proxies, Hezbollah, Amal and Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, have brought  Lebanon’s government to a constitutional crisis. Yet again, outside actors have pushed Lebanon to the brink of civil war for their own selfish interests.

Just 6 days ago, on September 19, a massive car bomb killed Antoine Ghanem along with 5 other civilians, and left many dozens of innocent bystanders wounded. Mr Ghanem, a member of the Lebanese parliament, and a supporter of the Siniora government, was just the latest in a string of 11 political assassinations over the past three years. As a consequence of this pattern of violence, the March 14 alliance is 2 parliamentarians away from being murdered out of their majority.

Now is the time for this Congress to send a strong message of support for the democratically elected and fully legitimate government in Lebanon. Time, Mr. Speaker, is short. The Syrian-backed campaign of murder is creeping ever closer to its goal of destroying the majority of the Lebanese parliament, bringing down the government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, and again imposing a pro-Syrian president on Lebanon.

Fearing just this scenario, months ago, I introduced H.Res. 548, with the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Mr. Pence, with Chairman Lantos, and Representatives Issa and Boustany, two Members whose roots extend back to Lebanon. This bipartisan resolution expresses the strong support of the House of Representatives for Lebanon's elected government, and affirms our readiness to make that support tangible in order to help preserve and strengthen Lebanese sovereignty and independence.

The resolution condemns Syria and Iran for providing arms to Lebanese militias, particularly the terrorist group Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions in Lebanon, in clear contravention of Security Council resolutions.

H. Res. 548 also endorses "prompt action" by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon established by the  Security Council to investigate the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005. Syria must know with utter certainty that the United States will never sacrifice justice in Lebanon to allow Damascus to escape accountability for its crimes.

The current Lebanese government, which is under siege, is both legitimate and representative of the majority of Lebanese. The attempts to undermine it are not some kind of retaliation. Lebanon's government is being systematically attacked only because it is unwilling to subordinate its authority and Lebanon’s sovereignty to external and extra-legal demands.

Quite simply, Lebanon is being bullied. And in light of this fact, the United States and the entire international community must come to its aid.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.”

###

Return to Gary's Homepage