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A supporter, left, of Micheal Aoun, Lebanon's most prominent anti-Syrian politician, is greeted with a kiss by a woman holding a Lebanese flag on her arrival at Beirut airport, after a flight from Paris, Thursday, May 5, 2005. Aoun's supporters returned to Beirut on two flights from Paris and Kuwait ahead of their leader's comeback from his Paris exile on Saturday. Aoun is likely to become one of the powerful figures in Lebanon's anti-Syrian opposition movement in the parliament elections starting on May 29. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)


Lebanese in U.S. credited for affecting turn of events Senator trumpets actions of 'active' expats
May 05, 2005
ZOUK MOSBEH:
U.S. Republican Senator Elliot Engel said Lebanese emigrants in the United States had a major impact on the recent turn of events inside their native country through the passing by Congress of the Syria Accountability and Restoration of Lebanese Sovereignty Act and UN Resolution 1559.
Speaking via telephone during an interview at a forum entitled Residents and Emigrants, Together for a New Lebanon and a New Generation, Engel trumpeted the actions of "active Lebanese" like former army commander General Michel Aoun, who testified in front of Congress, and was subsequently accused of treason.
Organized by the Lebanese Emigration Research Center, the two-day forum opened Wednesday at Notre Dame University in Zouk Mosbeh, in cooperation with its Student Cabinet.
Engel reiterated his country's position on Hizbullah, saying the party must disarm and become a legitimate political entity if it is to be accepted into the Lebanese societal equation.
Engel promised the Lebanese free and fair elections by ensuring U.S. and international monitoring of the electoral process.
He emphasized his growing personal interest in Lebanon's security and future, expressing his desire to visit Lebanon, and announcing the U.S. administration's intention to plant a Lebanese Cedar in Washington as a tribute to the strengthening of U.S.-Lebanese bonds. Aoun, by phone from Paris, said Lebanese emigrants play a major role in Lebanese issues and should always feel they are part of the decision-making process in Lebanon.
Aoun, who is due to return Saturday from a 15-year exile, said Lebanese emigrants in Washington, Paris, London, Canada and Australia played a key role in reviving the Lebanese cause on the international scene.
"But their task is not over yet," he said. "They have a major role to play, along with those in Lebanon, that will start now with the return of sovereignty."
"Lebanese emigrants abroad represent all Lebanese and they should practice democracy and political life where they are so they can gain great influence, which would give them more efficiency when they deal in Lebanese affairs," Aoun explained.
Asked about the 2000 electoral law, Aoun said the law will not discourage the opposition, "and we will continue our struggle to achieve our goals."
"It is important to preserve the popular capacity on our side as it awaits change, not only on the economic level, but also on the intellectual and political levels," he said.
"We will overturn the traditional criteria of political practices," he said. "We will make elections in Lebanon a political choice, not a sectarian one."
Earlier, Director of Public Relations Suheil Matar denounced the failure of the Lebanese to confess their mistakes, saying: "We have not heard anybody in Lebanon admit he made a mistake. Is it true that we were all right and the others only were wrong?"
Matar urged Lebanese from all confessions and areas to show solidarity to build a free and independent country, warning new problems will arise if the Lebanese are "distracted by temporary gains."
For his part, Dr. Amin Albert Rihani called for a distinction to be made between private and public interests, and for holding officials accountable rather than limiting oneself to complaining.
Rihani said the republic would not be revived unless the morals of all Lebanese people and officials improve.
Coordinator of the Future Movement in the South Youssef Naqib, speaking for Sidon MP Bahia Hariri, said Lebanon needed the combined efforts of its residents and emigrants to "preserve its continuity, revival, independence and freedom."