On the Constitutional and legal aspects, Hariri can be considered a puppet official appointed by the Syrian dictatorship with Saudi backing. He came to power after the Syrian complete occupation of Lebanon on Oct 13, 1990. The illegal Taef accord (http://www.intercenter.net/~amnon/p1/taif.txt ) violated the Lebanese constitution by condoning the Syrian occupation of the country. It was enacted by the disbanded parliament under the pressure of 40,000 Syrian occupation troops, the US, Saudi Arabia, and the bribes of Billionaire Hariri. Since 1990, the appointed Lebanese puppet regime signed a series of treaties that surrendered the remaining independence and economy of Lebanon to Syria, and jeopardized the safety and security of Lebanese citizens. (1991 Treaty of Brotherhood and Cooperation, 1993 Common market agenda, 1994 Economic & social cooperation, 1997 Promotion of investments, 1997 Prevention of double taxation, 1998 Elimination of Custom Duties).

On the legislative side, the occupation regime started by appointing deputies to the parliament to fill vacancies rather than conducting free elections. Then it conducted two fraudulent elections under Syrian occupation in 1992, and 1996, and another fraudulent municipal election in 1998. Massive fraud, buying of votes, intervention, pressure on candidates and voters, and outright attacks on peoples lives and interests were made by the police state. The obvious result is that the current regime does not have legitimacy and is illegal. Legitimacy comes from the people through free and democratic elections in a free country. Lebanon is under the combined Syrian-Israeli occupation and its government in un-representative. It is simply a collection of mafias operating under Syria’s dictator; Hafez Assad.

As of today, July 1998, Syria continues to occupy Lebanon in violation of the United Nation resolution 520 (gopher://gopher.undp.org/00/undocs/scd/scouncil/s82/21%09%09%2B) and refuses to withdraw. The Hariri government is not protesting this violation of International law and the Lebanese constitution.

What is the state of Freedoms in Lebanon today? The occupation regime enacted new laws that stripped the freedom of the press, banned Satellite broadcast of news, and restricted the right of assembly and free expression. The state Security forces attacked, arrested, and tortured journalists and citizens (e.g. Pierre Atallah’s exiled in France), and gagged and penalized newspapers. The Taef regime has silenced all the living forces of society and allows only collaborators their free opinion who everyday praise the Syrian occupation of Lebanon against every basic human decency and logic. What follows is a expose from independent organizations on the current state of Human rights and Freedoms in Lebanon.

"New York, October 16 -- In a letter to Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, released today in advance of Mr. Hariri's Washington meeting with President Clinton on October 18, Human Rights Watch expresses deep concern about the abduction of Lebanese citizens and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon by Syrian security forces. Human Rights Watch, which sent investigators to Lebanon in July and August 1996, reports that two cases of "disappearances" occurred recently as July 1996. The abductions sometimes take place with the cooperation of Lebanese security forces; victims have been transported to Syria and detained there, without charge and due process of law."

"..The subject of the Syrian role in Lebanon and human rights abuses that arise from Syrian actions there has long been taboo in Lebanon. Most residents of Lebanon are afraid to discuss these issues, and Lebanese newspapers do not report cases of "disappearances" to Syria. Human Rights Watch charges that inquiries by Lebanese and Palestinian families about missing relatives "are met with disinterest and inaction by Lebanese authorities, who reportedly refuse even to write down complaints."

Members of the security forces used excessive force and tortured some detainees. Prison conditions remained poor. Government abuses also included the arbitrary arrest and detention of persons who opposed government policies. Long delays in trials are a problem. The Government infringed on citizens' privacy rights. The Government also partially limited press freedom, particularly by implementing the 1996 media law to restrict radio and television broadcasting in a discriminatory manner. Journalists practice self-censorship. The Government imposes limits on freedom of movement. The Government continued to restrict freedom of assembly and ban demonstrations. The right of citizens to change their government remains limited by shortcomings in the electoral system. Although the 1996 parliamentary elections represented a step forward, the electoral process was flawed, as the elections were not prepared or carried out impartially."

"The free press in Lebanon suffered significant setbacks. In what was described by government officials as a fair attempt to regulate the country’s broadcast media, a cabinet order granted licenses to four television and 11 radio stations, but ordered the closure of dozens of others it called "pirate" stations. Forty-seven stations, mainly from the opposition media, were denied licenses after submitting applications to the government. Companies in which government officials had financial interests received preferential treatment. Members of the government, including Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, Interior Minister Michel al-Murr, and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, owned or directly influenced three of the four newly licensed TV stations"

"The government also imposed regulations on the newly approved stations that will affect the content of news and other broadcasts. Only the four licensed TV companies and three of the approved radio stations, including the Hariri-owned Radio Orient and Nabih Berri’s yet-unformed National Broadcasting Network, may offer political programming. "The end result," noted one human rights activist, "is that now four or five politicians in the country monopolize the public and private sector [of the broadcast media]."

The print media were the targets of harsh legal measures. In March, state prosecutors brought six libel suits against employees of the vocal daily opposition newspaper Al-Diyar for a series of articles and a cartoon that denounced the policies of President Elias Hrawi and Prime Minister Hariri. The suits charged editor in chief Charles Ayyoub, director Youssef al-Howeyyek, and cartoonist Elie Saliba with defamation. The defendants, who were awaiting trial at year’s end, face up to two years in prison and fines of 100 million Lebanese lira (US$60,000) for each offense. Heavy monetary fines would likely force the paper out of business"

In another page (http://www.cpj.org/pubs/attacks97/mideast/mideastsetter.html), CPJ adds: "Syria’s ongoing military presence in Lebanon continued to compromise Lebanese media coverage of Syrian affairs. Ever since Syrian troops occupied and temporarily shut down the offices of several newspapers in late 1976, the press has refrained from any meaningful criticism of Assad’s regime and its controversial presence in Lebanon. The fear of reprisal for critical reporting among journalists is well-founded. In the years following the Syrian intervention, a number of journalists were assassinated in Beirut—presumably by Syrian agents for their critical coverage of Assad’s military initiative in Lebanon. Syria’s continued dominant political and military influence in Lebanon, along with the notorious activities of its intelligence services in certain parts of the country, further enforce self-censorship among the Lebanese press. "

Needless to say, Lebanon today is in the worst ecological condition ever in its history. What follows are sample reports from Greenpeace and their web links:

The Central bank April 1998 report stated: "The total stock of net public debt continued to grow during the first quarter of 1998 but at a lower pace than the previous years. Net total debt grew by 30.8 per cent annually and stood at LBP 22.9 trillion at end March 1998 against LBP 22 trillion at the end of 1997. "

Just this week, Hariri and Jumblat squared off regarding hundred of millions of dollars that were earmarked for the return of the displaced and which disappeared in Jumblat’s hands under Hariri’s watch. Hariri produced evidence showing money going to fictitious parties and accused his minister, Jumblat of theft of public funds. The affair suddenly quieted and we hear no additional coverage on it in the controlled local press.

The reconstruction drive claimed by Hariri is one of the greatest lies in modern times. The amount of corruption, waste, cronyism, theft of public funds has never been seen before in Lebanon. Under well-orchestrated propaganda campaign, the occupation regime has trumpeted its accomplishments while sinking Lebanon into huge debts beyond its capability to recover. The Troika (Hrawi-Hariri-Berri) has divided the spoils of the State. They distributed government appointments among themselves as well as with warlords made cabinet minister such as Walid Jumblat, and war criminal Elie Hobeika. Corruption is wide spread and theft of public funds is common practice. The following are excerpts from a variety of sources depict the situation:

"The number of newly registered industrial firms fell by 23.5% during April 1998. Construction activity declined during April 1998, as indicated by the volume of cement deliveries which fell by 5.2% to 239.0 thousand tons. Moreover, the area of construction permits granted by the Association of Engineers, decreased by 43.8% compared to April 1997, pointing to a continuing decline in planned construction activity."

"I’m not optimistic," said Fouad Khazen, president of the Lebanese contractors’ syndicate. A quarter of the contractors said that the delay in payment was a deliberate tactic of the government, while 55 per cent said it was a result of lengthy routine procedures. Khazen stated that it was common for government officials to award projects based on personal contact, and not by internationally recognized tender procedures. The contractors want an end to cronyism, he said.

"Public administration has a human resource problem in terms of qualification and moral conduct," he said. "This is unfortunate but it’s understood in the exceptional circumstances after the war. Better tender conditions have to be set, quotas, politics and manipulation have to end." Khazen named the ministries of public works, electricity and water, various municipalities, the CDR, the council for the greater projects, the council for Beirut projects, the council of the south and the fund for the displaced as independent agencies setting different tender procedures and lacking coordination. "This is why a new road is dug up the day after it’s completed and why there’s waste and unfinished projects," he said.

Accusing some contractors of passing work to unqualified sub-contractors, the prime minister said: "Some of the sub-contractors are using poor quality asphalt and concrete which eventually wears down." "Citizens are heaping curses on the government and the ministry of public works every time they pass a rough or uneven street," Hariri said.

We wonder who is responsible? Who is governing Lebanon today?

Economist Marwan Iskander, a former adviser to Rafik Hariri, the Prime Minister, has produced annual reports on the economy for the past 18 years. In his 1997 edition of "The Lebanese Economy" he states that "politics and politicians get most of the blame for Lebanon’s fragile economic health. We have enough resources to make this country prosperous but first there must be a political will."

He dismissed the troika system of rule by consensus as a "hindrance" to effective government and a "political bottleneck" restricting a more competitive future for Lebanon.
"The economy is in limbo," he said, "partly because of the uncertainty of who will be the next president and partly because economic matters are not being treated realistically.
"Politicians blow their horn about issues which they think are popular themes without stopping to analyze what is the necessary action to take."
He warned that the country could "spin into recession" in a matter of months if the next president was not of sufficient integrity and culture. It was vital for the sake of Lebanon’s reputation in the international marketplace that the president should be a figure with impressive credentials, he added.

Sidon Member of Parliament "Mustafa Saad" stated yesterday that the Hariri government ‘is disgusting’ (Daily Star 7/11/98). The MP said a series of government scandals have begun to resemble a "Mexican soap opera".
In a statement, Saad launched an all-out attack on prime minister Rafik Hariri’s government, saying that only "international and regional factors" were keeping it in power. He called it "the most disgusting" government in terms of scandals since the era of "Sultan Salim", the brother of president Beshara Khoury, a symbol of government corruption in the early 1950s.
"The government fell a long time ago, in the test of trust by the public, parties and unions. Only regional and international circles, which brought Hariri and his government to power in 1992, continue to provide the reasons for it staying in place, despite the theft and waste of public funds," he said.
The deputy named fraud involving customs declarations, the national currency, "deals" by the Council for Reconstruction and Development, compensation by the Council for the South and the Central Fund for the Displaced and the latest problems involving Electricité du Liban as examples of a "discordant symphony with only one maestro, who parachuted into power in 1992".

When will the world powers recognize the crime they committed against Lebanon? When will Assad be penalized for his occupation of Lebanon the same way Saddam Huissein was penalized for his aggression against Kuwait? When will justice come? We can wait no further. The destruction of our homeland has reached a peak. Something must be done very soon. This illogic of destruction of civilizations must end. We will not continue to accept the status quo.