Lebanon demands withdrawal of troops

It's not to the Indonesian people that we should explain the intentions of the state of Israel, which recently launched its new trial-balloon by proposing a conditional withdrawal of its occupying forces from the South of Lebanon and Bekaa West.

After exactly 20 years of the issuance of Resolution No. 425 and Resolution No. 426, Israel came, once more, to give itself the nice image of the state which complies to international will, putting conditions which did not exist either in the mentioned resolutions or in the report of the then secretary-general of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim.

For example: to start direct negotiations for what they call "security arrangements", to disarm the honest and noble Lebanese resistance, which was created only because of the Israeli occupation. It is a condition which is aimed at undermining the Libano-Syrian track for peace talks, to disrupt the solidarity between the Arabs, in general, and between Syria and Lebanon in particular; to create a hostile climate between the Lebanese government and the noble resistance, etc.

The Israeli proposal, which is full of traps, cannot convince the international community that the government of Netanyahu is complying with and implementing the international resolutions; when the same government still detains hundreds of Lebanese without accusation and without trial since 1982; still bombards by war planes, shells by artillery, launches rockets from the sea, kills people and destroys houses and farms, causing poverty and diaspora of the Lebanese population.

Lebanon has been and is still demanding unconditional withdrawal, in implementation, by the spirit and the letter, of the two above mentioned resolutions. It repeatedly calls on the international community, the UN and all the friendly nations to support its attitude and its aims, and to oblige Israel to stop its inhuman practices, which are prohibited by the Geneva Convention, and respect Lebanon's security.

Lebanon has always renewed its commitment to the Madrid Formula and declared that peace is its strategic option, and would like to resume talks from the points which were reached in the latest round of negotiations in Washington.

ABDULLATIF MAMLOUK

Ambassador of Lebanon

to Indonesia

Jakarta