[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 21, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H4436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




REAFFIRMING SUPPORT OF THE HOUSE FOR LEBANON UNDER PRIME MINISTER FOUAD 
                                SINIORA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Murphy) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, as the representative of 
thousands of proud Lebanese Americans in Connecticut's Fifth 
Congressional District, I rise tonight in strong support of the 
democratically elected government of Lebanon and to condemn the recent 
violence perpetrated against the people of Lebanon by the terrorist 
group Hezbollah.
  Lebanon is a vital ally in a region where we need all the allies that 
we can get. It is a vibrant society composed and defined by its 
diversity of religious and ethnic backgrounds. A culturally rich Nation 
renowned for its tolerance and democratic values, Lebanon stands at the 
crossroads of Arab tradition and Western culture.
  Yes, Lebanon has struggled with the proxy wars fought inside its 
borders by powerful neighboring nations, but with the strong support of 
the United States, the strong independence and vibrant democratic 
tradition of Lebanon can and will continue.
  Yesterday, this House considered H.R. 1149, which reaffirmed the 
support of this House for the democratically elected government of 
Lebanon, led by the governing March 14 coalition. This resolution was 
necessary because that government has recently come under vicious 
attack by Hezbollah-led opposition fighters, an outbreak of violence 
that has brought that country to the brink of civil war.
  In response to legitimate actions by the government to protect the 
security of its own citizens, Hezbollah instigated riots, blocked 
roads, forcibly shut down media stations, and attacked the residences 
of prominent members of the ruling coalition. During the course of this 
violence, Mr. Speaker, more than 69 Lebanese citizens were killed and 
more than 250 were wounded.
  These actions blatantly violated the commitments made by Hezbollah 
leader Hassan Nasrallah, who has always maintained that Hezbollah 
exists solely to defend Lebanon against Israel, and that its members 
would never take arms up against other Lebanese. That pretense is now 
clearly shown to the entire world to be false, as we have known it was 
for a very long time. Indeed, Hezbollah's primary purpose seems to be 
to act as the agent of Iran and Syria, which continue arming the 
terrorist group in order to maintain a presence in Lebanon and a 
military front on Israel's northern border.
  This brief, but bloody, period of fighting was the worst violence 
Lebanon has seen since the civil war that engulfed that Nation from 
1975 to 1990. It demonstrated the military strength of Hezbollah's 
militias, and it threatened the free media, religious tolerance, and 
cultural diversity that make Lebanon such an important ally of the 
United States. The streets of Beirut are now relatively calm, but 
Lebanon will remain under threat until that government becomes truly 
independent from foreign influence.
  It has been more than 3 years since the Cedar Revolution, when the 
people of Lebanon took to the streets and demanded an end to Syria's 
occupation of that country. Unfortunately, while Syrian troops have 
withdrawn, its government has continued to undermine Lebanon's vibrant 
but fragile democracy. They do this by allowing weapons shipments to 
pass over their territory into Lebanon and by continuing to disrupt 
internal Lebanese politics.
  The boiling over of tensions that have been building for months has 
brought the world's attention to the challenges facing Lebanon, and we 
must capitalize on that focus.
  Last night, the government and opposition leaders concluded talks in 
Doha, Qatar, finally reaching an agreement that will allow for the 
formation of a government and the election of Michel Suleiman as 
President, probably as soon as this Sunday. This is a welcome 
development and one that bodes well for the future of Lebanon.
  But a number of issues still remain unaddressed. These include the 
status of Hezbollah's weapons, the future of Lebanon's electoral law, 
and the long overdue investigation into the murder of former Prime 
Minister Hariri.
  The Lebanese people have found a way to live side by side with all of 
their differences for years and years, and I for one believe that it is 
in the United States' best interest to do all that we can to use 
yesterday's political breakthrough to press for the total elimination 
of undue outside influence on the Lebanese government and Lebanese 
society.
  As political negotiations move forward in Lebanon, the United States, 
its Arab allies, and the European Union must provide the Lebanese 
government with the economic, military and political support it needs. 
We have seen the difficulty of promoting new democracies in the Middle 
East; however, in Lebanon, we have the opportunity to preserve one. A 
window of opportunity has opened, Mr. Speaker. The United States must 
now work diligently and quickly with Lebanon and her allies to assure 
that the moment is seized.

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