Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-08-Speech-2-181"
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"en.20050308.21.2-181"2
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The position held by Parliament and the EU with regard to events in Lebanon should strike a balance between clarity and responsibility. Clarity in expressing the urgent need for an independent international inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the assassination of the former prime minister, its causes and effects; in expressing the solidarity that must be shown towards the democratic, peaceful and pan-community movement demanding full sovereignty for Lebanon and democratic elections; and in expressing the demand that Syrian troops and intelligence officers withdraw, under the Taif agreements and the United Nations Security Council Resolution. Clarity is essential, then, but clarity must be accompanied by responsibility, given the extraordinarily fragile nature of the mosaic of Lebanese society. It is this responsibility that has led my group to request a separate vote on paragraphs 6 and 7 of the compromise resolution.
Firstly there is the Syria question. The withdrawal to the Bekaa Valley, as laid down in the Taif agreements, is, by objective standards, a laudable step and the demand for an end to any foreign interference cannot only be aimed at one country. Israel still occupies Lebanese land and France and the United States are hardly innocent bystanders. This is particularly true of the latter, which gave tacit approval to the Syrian presence in Lebanon for years and years, and yet now, with the strongest military presence in the region, approaches Syria with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop. This is another disaster in waiting for peace and stability.
Secondly, there is the issue of Hezbollah. There is no organisation that I could feel further removed from, but demonising the so-called ‘Party of God’ and classifying it as being wholly dependent on Syria is neither wise nor true. Hezbollah cannot be fought by placing it on terrorism lists, but by committing its political wing to the democratic process, by tackling the brutal inequalities in Lebanon and by achieving a fair resolution of the conflicts arising from Israel’s occupation of land. Let Europe provide an alternative to the policies of blindness and force in the region."@en1
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