BEIRUT, Mar. 19, 01 (CWNews.com) - The Jesuit president of the Universite Saint Joseph criticized Syria on Monday for Lebanon's national decline, keeping the war-torn country as a virtual fiefdom for decades.
Lebanese Christians have been outspoken in their demands to end Syrian control of Lebanon and the withdrawal of 35,000 soldiers from their country. Father Selim Abou told a meeting of faculty and staff, "It is not much the physical presence of this army which wounds the dignity of the Lebanese, as the symbol of domination it represents with its intelligence apparatus controlling all sectors of public life." The speech came during a gathering to celebrate the feast day of the university's patron saint.
Syrian soldiers have been in Lebanon since 1976, when civil war struck the country and have remained even after the end of the war at the beginning of the 90s.
Father Abou said Syria would not abandon control of Lebanon in the near future, despite the advent to power last year of President Bashar al-Assad, who is carrying out political, economic, and administrative reforms in Syria. "Syria is not about to relax its grip and there will be no dearth of Lebanese sycophants to laud its alleged benefits in a discourse which reflects a true culture of subservience," he said.
"This discourse partly undermines social relations, destabilizes the nation, and discredits the state. The young have become convinced that the country does not belong to them any longer," he said. The Lebanese army deployed last week in Beirut to prevent Christian students from staging anti-Syrian demonstrations, while Syrian troops moved into the Chouf mountain stronghold of Druze Christian leader Walid Jumblatt after he joined criticisms of Syria.
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
19. mars 2001