 By: Colonel Fayez Karam (Translated freely: By Elias Bejjani) On the 13th of October 1990, I found myself between a past I strived to complete, a present I lived its bitterness and a future in which I believed. That day my thinking focused on those Lebanese killed, injured, missed, displaced, tortured, mutilated and kidnapped when Syria invaded Lebanon's free regions and ousted its legitimate government. I focused with pride on every citizen sacrificed his live and belongings to fight for the Lebanese fair cause and to hold dear to his heart solid faith in Lebanon and its national code of principles. I could not help questioning, why and who is accountable, what does the international law mean, and what is left from the International Human Rights Covenant? On the 13th of October 1990, the Lebanese will was assaulted and badly injured, but the people's hope for liberation, freedom and victory did not fade. Their will fell under pressure of conspiracy, collaboration, pragmatism and submission to the imposed occupational status quo. It fell under power of foreign interests, international greediness, weapons of destruction, terrorism and stiffness. On that day all the Lebanese were affected, and almost every family lost a beloved member. Our enemies' grudges and greediness hit us. They bombarded us with all their hatred, aggression and deep rooted enviousness. Their insidious concentration was on the Lebanese citizen more than any thing else. They wanted to kill his spirit of openness, creativity, distinction, development and evolution. No military or civilian positions were spared during the barbaric invasion, and all means of destruction were used. They assaulted senior citizens, civilians, military troops as well as children. They bombarded our people with their morbid hatred and jealousy. The Syrian scheme was to instigate an internal war among the different Lebanese families and denominations. They planned to disguise and to justify their interference by making the Lebanese fight each other in fear of deprivation, injustice and denominational hegemony. The end outcome was that they (the Syrians) conquered the country, imposed puppet officials, deprived the people from their rights, impoverished them and ruled with injustice and hegemony. On the 13 of October prison custodians became prisoners and vise versa. Words lost their meaning, officials abandoned their responsibilities and nationalism turned into a slogan for treason. Governmental institutions became a playground for tribalism and sectarianism and qualification were manipulated into cheap means for ignorance, corruption and segregation. Eight years passed on the Syrian attempt (October 13, 1990) to destroy the Lebanese will and to drag Lebanon into a terrorist and a dictatorship regime. Today with pride and dignity we say to the Syrians: The hope inside us for freedom and liberation is still alive and shall remain so. Your humiliations inflicted on our people through imposing and appointing officials including presidents, oppression, torture and tailoring of legislation are not going to weaken our hope or deter our determination. On the contrary your infringements will solidify our faith and strengthen our will. Lebanon can not be destroyed, it shall endure as long as one Lebanese patriot lives Long Live Free Lebanon |