try-and won't liberate it. I prefer to answer your questions by raising three questions myself. How can you imagine a dictatorship helping to rebuild a democracy? How can a country bent on hegemony help restore a neighboring country's sovereignty? And how can a socialist country help build free markets? Municipal elections are part of a whole democratic process, and I can't imagine, really, a dictatorship helping rebuild a democracy at any level. That is why it is the essence of the problem. And when we will answer those three questions, at that time, really, we can move forward. Chairman GILMAN. Mr. President, the last elections, 1996, the parliamentary elections, do you feel they were fairly held? There was some question about by our State Department with regard to whether or not they were fair. Mr. GEMAYEL. I will note two things, Mr. Chairman. First, I refer to the statement made by David Welch, himself, saying that there were serious problems. And the second point is, look at the result. I, myself, wasn't able to run or to return to my country and to run for a Parliament, because my security was threatened at that time. So many, many others also could not return to run. And that is why you have a rubber stamp Parliament for the time being. The 1996 election was no breakthrough or miracle. I am sure you would like to have such a consensus here in the United States, in the Congress or the Senate, to have only one voice and be able to vote on major and essential issues and national issues, with 99.9 percent. Earlier I mentioned the reelection of President Harawi. A few months before the election, I remember very well several statements by several Lebanese, leaders and Members of Parliament saying, they couldn't believe, for a single moment, that they could accept or approve the reelection of President Harawi, because the renewal of the mandate would be unprecedented. Yet when the moment of truth arrived, all those people came in with one voice to renew the mandate of President Harawi. So that is why I am saying that actually we don't have a Parliament. We have only a body invented, created, and built just to endorse Syrian decisions and aims in Lebanon. For those who are saying that it is up to the Lebanese Government to call for the withdrawal of the Syrian Army from Lebanon, I can tell you that the President himself, the Members of the Parliament and the members of the government, have been imposed upon us by Syria specifically for the purpose of endorsing the permanent Syrian presence in Lebanon. They are there precisely to object to any request from the United States or from others to implement the Taif agreement, which would require the Syrian Army to withdraw from Lebanon. They are there to oppose the withdrawal and the implementation of the President or the other leaders in Lebanon. I respect the Lebanese leaders; I have a close friendship with them, but I can assure you that they are intimidated and they are not at all able to really express the Lebanese peoples' interests or to preserve and defend Lebanese national interests. If you will allow me to take just 2 minutes, I'd like to talk about a document I received. It is a memorandum about a message deliv ered to me by John Kelly, then the U.S. ambassador in Lebanon. I would make two points about it. Chairman GILMAN. What is the date of that document? Mr. GEMAYEL. The date is 12 March, 1988, the last year of my term. In this document, Ambassador John Kelly makes two points: The first one is to say that the position of the Muslims, including Salim Hoss, who at that time was Prime Minister and leader of the Sunnis Committee on Lebanon, on power sharing is that of President Amin Gemayel. "The Syrians, including Salim Hoss, do not want," et cetera, et cetera. So it shows that we were able to get a real consensus and to build a consensual new Constitution. So the first point is the other Lebanese leaders and I agreed upon the essentials of the change in the Constitution. The second point, and this is very important, Mr. Chairman, and it is significant, when the U.S. ambassador in Lebanon expresses this, "clearly Muslim leaders live in fear and are taking positions under Syrian pressure." This was in 1988, and nothing has changed since in the period, and I was obliged to leave the country. The emissary, who at that time informed Ambassador John Kelly about this Muslim position, was assassinated 1 month later. That just shows you the kind of democracy we have and the kind of freedom and liberty enjoyed by several leaders who actually live in Lebanon, and the President and the members of the government. Chairman GILMAN. Without objection, we will make that memorandum a part of our record. [The memorandum appears in the appendix.] Chairman GILMAN. Mr. President, I cannot thank you enough for your sacrifice in time and travel it took to bring you over here and to be patient throughout our hearing. Your very eloquent remarks helped to give us a better insight Mr. GEMAYEL. My poor English language. Chairman GILMAN. You did very well. I recall when we met with you many years ago in Lebanon; at that time it was a country under siege and there was a lot of hostility going on. We met with you up in a fortress at that time at the top of the mountain. We thank you again for being here. The Committee stands adjourned. APPENDIX LEBANON Joint Statement by C. David Welch, Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs and June 25, 1997 Mr. Chairman, we are pleased to have the opportunity to address the Committee concerning Lebanon. We understand and appreciate the interest of Members of Congress, Lebanese-Americans and others on this issue. Lebanon is a country with historically warm ties to the United States. Lebanese-Americans have strengthened and enriched this country and its institutions. A stable, independent, economically vibrant and democratically-governed Lebanon is an important U.S. national interest. U.S. policy toward Lebanon remains firmly committed to Lebanon's unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Lebanon can achieve these political and economic objectives through reconstruction, national reconciliation, adherence to free markets, participation in the peace process, and the fulfillment of the Taif Accords. We believe these steps will make possible the departure of all foreign forces. The U.S. continues to work hard to achieve a comprehensive regional peace and help Lebanon recover from civil war. We are committed to the resumption of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, and we have continued to urge both sides to be prepared to exploit opportunities for peace. The Lebanese government has indicated that it looks forward to proceeding as soon as a favorable atmosphere develops. Israel would also like to see negotiations resume to address its concerns about security along its border with Lebanon. The Israel-Lebanon Monitoring Group called for by the April 26 Understanding brokered by former-Secretary Christopher has held numerous meetings since beginning operations in July 1996. The Monitoring Group has contributed to easing tensions and avoiding civilian casualties in southern Lebanon and northern Israel by affording Lebanon, Syria and Israel a forum that helps avoid escalation and protecting civilians. The U.S. also organized a meeting of 30 countries and eight international lending institutions in a consultative group called the Friends of Lebanon to assist in Lebanon's reconstruction. The meeting took place last December 16 and was successful in focusing positive international attention on Lebanon. The meeting also generated various kinds of assistance to help keep Lebanon's reconstruction efforts on track. We encourage Lebanon's continued adherence to democratic principles. In September 1996, Lebanon completed elections in which all 128 members of the parliament were chosen. The U.S. encouraged participation by all Lebanese. The elections enjoyed heavy campaigning and a good turnout in most regions. Despite significant flaws, we believe these elections represented a step forward. They underscore the Lebanese people's desire to put the civil war behind them and to focus on strengthening their institutions and advancing national reconciliation. On the other hand, Lebanon has not had municipal elections in over 30 years. We urge Lebanon to take the necessary steps to effect free and fair municipal elections in the near future. In 1998, Lebanon's parliament must elect a new President, and we look forward to seeing a vigorously contested election. As we have documented in our human rights report, we are concerned about certain steps the government has taken in the area of human rights and civil liberties, especially as regards the implementation of the media law, other media restrictions, and the arrests of government opponents after a shooting incident last December. These arrests took place without due process under Lebanese law. We have taken such issues up directly with the government and will continue to do so. We were pleased that the arrestees were all released. The Lebanese government has gradually expanded its authority but still does not exercise control over all Lebanese territory. Syria maintains 25-30,000 troops mostly in the Bekaa Valley. Israel maintains approximately 1,000-1,200 troops in southern Lebanon, and supports 2,000 allies in the South Lebanese Army. Hizballah exercises primary control in parts of Beirut's southern suburbs, areas in the Bekaa Valley, including training camps, and parts of southern Lebanon. That said, there has been a marked improvement in the security situation since the last U.S. hostages were released in 1991, and there have been no terrorist attacks against Americans or other Westerners in over six years. Another important reason for this progress has been the restoration of the Lebanese Armed Forces. At the end of the civil war in 1990, the LAF was a small, spent and divided army. Thanks to strong leadership and modest U.S. assistance, the LAF is now a disciplined, multi-confessional force numbering 60,000. The LAF has played a major role in creating a more secure Lebanon and is one of the most respected government institutions in the country. The LAF closely cooperates with the U.S. and dedicates significant assets to securing our Embassy. The U.S. is also beginning a small police training program which we hope will also foster the rule of law and increase cooperation on counter-narcotics, counterfeiting and other law enforcement issues. We note that while drug labs and transit problems still exist, Lebanon has eradicated drug crops in the Bekaa Valley. Overall law enforcement cooperation has been good. The government has limited the activities of many violent individuals and some groups in Lebanon. For example, in 1996, Lebanon extradited to Germany for prosecution a suspect in the April 1986 Berlin Disco bombing in which two U.S. servicemen were killed. We continue to pursue with the Lebanese the investigation of those responsible for terrorist crimes against Americans in the eighties. The Lebanese government has also taken other steps to combat terrorism and has acceded to nine of the ten international anti-terrorism conventions. The tenth is now before the parliament, and we expect approval in the near future. The government continues to provide personal security to many high-profile Americans visiting Lebanon. In early 1997, Lebanese authorities arrested and is trying five members of the Japanese Red Army, who had been resident in the Bekaa. We also note that the Lebanese government spoke out forcefully against recent threats to Americans in Turkey by a PKK spokesman in Lebanon and in answer to threats of domestic violence by former Hizballah Secretary General Subhi Tufayli. Within the country, Lebanese authorities have also made progress in upgrading airport security measures, but travel to or through Beirut International Airport (BIA) is not risk free. Most travelers using BIA transit the airport road which passes through Hizballah-controlled areas of south Beirut and near several Palestinian refugee camps. A new, safer airport road is under construction, however. |