March 14: Govt. Must Distance Lebanon from Syrian Crisis after Assad’s Hint of More Violence
The March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Wednesday Syrian President Bashar Assad’s speech on Tuesday, urging the international and Arab communities to take action to halt the regime’s ongoing crimes.
It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “The Lebanese government should distance the country from the Syrian crisis after Assad’s speech hinted at more violence on the internal scene.”
It also voiced its solidarity with the Syrian people, demanding the Arab monitors to reveal the truth in the developments in Syria and “uncover the massacres being committed by the regime.”
“Experience has proven that the regime seeks to exploit any diplomatic initiative in order to gain more time and exercise more oppression against its people, who are demanding freedom and democracy,” it added.
“The international community and Arab League are therefore required to take a firmer and more effective stand to halt the daily massacres,” continued the statement.
Addressing U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s trip to Lebanon on Friday, the general secretariat noted that his visit will test the Lebanese officials’ commitment to international resolutions.
The U.N. Security Council resolutions on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese-Syrian border, and Special Tribunal for Lebanon require the government to assume its responsibilities on these issues “away from media maneuvers that seek to avert the implementation of these agreements,” it said.
Assad on Tuesday accused foreign parties of seeking to destabilize Syria but stressed that he would not step down over increased demonstrations against him.
"Regional and international parties who are trying to destabilize Syria can no longer falsify the facts and events," the embattled leader said.
He slammed the Arab League, saying it helped spread sectarian divisions across the country.
Assad pledged that his government would tackle terrorism with an "iron fist.”
"There can be no let-up for terrorism -- it must be hit with an iron fist," he said. "Our priority now is to regain security which we basked in for decades."
Source: Naharnet
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