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PART 10  (Translated freely: By Elias Bejjani) The Arab leaders at the Tunisia Arabic summit conference assumed General Michel Aoun will not be willing to meet with Mr. Hussien Al-Hussaini (Lebanon's House speaker) or with Dr. Salim Hoss (Lebanon's ex- Prime Minister, Syria forced him to claim himself as Prime Minister), but they there wrong in their presumptions. On the third day of the Summit, Sheik Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Kuwait's Foreign Minister and head for the Arabic Committee asked Aoun if is okay for him to be his guest at a lunch with Dr. Hoss and Mr. Hussaini. Aoun responded with spontaneous approval and said: This is what I have been asking for in Beirut since a long time; but I am afraid they would not be able to attend because their decision making process is not free. Sheik Sabah returned after half an hour Shiek and informed Aoun that both Hussaini and Hoss refused to accept the invitation. Aoun commented by saying: It seems they have received directions from a foreign source. He smiled and added your Excellency as far as I know they are not banned from eating. Mr. Hoss is not suffering from high cholesterol neither Mr. Hussaini has an indigestion problem. I learned later on, that Hoss and Hussaini tried to call Syria's Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdul Haliem Khadam and see how he felt about their potential meeting with General Aoun. Khadam hanged up before giving then a definite clear answer, they tried to call again several times, but Khadam's line kept on giving busy signals. The French Ambassador Mr. Paul Belan commented on this incident (as documented in Karim Bakradoni's book, "the Disgrace of a Nation", page 193) by saying: it is a new precedent in the history of diplomacy, it is the busy phone lines policy, not the opened or the closed lines one At end of the Summit General Aoun returned to Lebanon with positive, but cautious hopes. When we met him for the first time after his return, he was somewhat content, but afraid of the kind of pressures exerted on the Arabs. He said: The Arabs possess the sense of justice and the nobility in relations. I was open with them in relation to all relevant issues. They were very receptive and fully convinced with my concepts and with the accuracy of my proposals. The side meetings cleared my issues and were fruitful and important, we have gained the confidence and friendship of our fellow Arabs. We have won the Palestinian riffle and the Arabs are now sure that we are free, while our other fellow Lebanese are not. He added: But I am afraid from the hesitation in executing what the Arabs promised to do because of the American's administration hegemony on the majority of the Arabic decision making processes. The American hegemony on the Arabs is very similar to what Syria is trying to impose on Lebanon …. They want to manipulate and control our decision. At the begging of 1989, we, a group of youth, paid a visit to the Dean of the foreign diplomats in Lebanon, Vatican's Ambassador, and Monsignor Angeoloni. The aim of the visit was to exchange concepts and points of view in regards to the Lebanese status and the unfolding events. His Excellency addressed us by saying: General Michel Aoun is a positive transformation in the Lebanese cause. There is hope for a solution because Aoun is well trusted by both the people and the Army, and his platforms are comprehensive and Lebanese. He added: This is what I keep hearing from the Lebanese, besides he is an efficient officer with a wise foresight and very clear patriotic concepts. He is above all, and based on my own personal experience with him honest, courageous and a straightforward person. At the beginning of the Liberation war (declared on March 14.1989) we met again with his Excellency the Monsignor. He reminded us of what he had said in our first meeting and added: This war has identified clearly the causes standing behind the on going Lebanese agony, and addressed the real issues by its actual names, it is a positive significant move and apparently there will be no backward retreat. During the Liberation war Dr. Salim Hoss enrolled to take an active vicious part in the conspiracy against Lebanon and its people. In a bid to conceal his fear from the Syrian nightmare that has become integrated in his personality, and to camouflage his submissiveness to the American orders, and to cover the conspiracy, he carried a series of field visits to certain Beiruti residential areas, public schools and humanitarian institutions. During his visits he explored the damages caused by the shelling. Mr. Hoss in stead of being content with the painful scenes, he assumed the role of a forged witness. During one of his charade visits he boldly and in front of T.V cameras held the remaining of a 240-millimeter bomb and started pompously and stupidly blaming General Aoun and the Lebanese Army, claiming they are responsible for the shelling and the destruction. He stupidly did so, when he knew very well in his capacity as an ex-Prime Minister that the Lebanese Army does not have have in its arsenal such bombs. Mr. Hoss and because of his guilty feelings wrote article, gave lectures and even published books defending his wrong stances through fabrication and imagination of events, meetings and contacts. A Lebanese Beiruti Sunni dignitary, who was the contact between General Aoun and Dr. Hoss said to me: I can say with full peace of mind that what actually happened has nothing to do with what Dr. Hoss has documented in his writings. He added: but what is in fact traumatic, painful and frustrating, is to witness the kind of degradation, cowordniss and deception that has taken place in forging facts. What also makes me angry is that General Aoun does not want currently to uncover the truth. He keeps on telling us: let Dr. Hoss conceal his fear, let him tell what he has, it is too early to uncover the truth. To be continued next week. Long Live Free Lebanon |