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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Lebanon border crossing : A living example of Syrian dictatorship |
| 2007-06-22 |
| Al-Joussiyeh border crossing: According to As- Safir newspaper, about three in the afternoon on Wednesday, the security guard of the Syrian border crossing was checking the documents of a Syrian taxi driver that was trying to enter Syria from Lebanon. When the phone suddenly rang he took the documents with him, and rushed inside to answer the phone. He then ran back, returned the documents to the driver and asked him to leave quickly. He proceeded to lock the metal barrier that divides the 2 counties. The Syrian driver was not allowed to enter the gate, and it was of no use protesting. He was told by the guard that he received an order to close the border crossing, and he could not violate the order. He told the driver “orders are orders”. The Syrian taxi driver, who had a family with children with him, was outraged. “You mean we, the citizens of Syria, cannot enter our own country?”, asked the puzzled driver. The driver started to sing and laugh loudly out of outrage, "I am banned from entering my own country … banned from enjoying the warmth of my family … banned from seeing my ailing mother! The Arab world is my country from Lebanon to Syria ... ha ha ha!" One phone call was enough to keep hundreds of Syrians and Lebanese away from their families. News about the closure travels fast, and everyone was outraged. Many Syrian farmers had trucks full of produce that they wanted to sell in Lebanon, but now they have to either dump the goods, or return them to Syria to sell at deep discount and lose a lot of money. Through this same border crossing hundreds of cars and trucks traveled yesterday, but not today because of an order. As the Syrian border security claimed, "orders are orders." This is a living example of how the dictators of Syria operate. They issue orders in the most ruthless manner, without any regard to the people of both countries… Syria and Lebanon. That Syrian taxi driver was theoretically already inside Syria when he presented his documents, but he was turned away back to Lebanon. This is the regime that dictated the lives of the Lebanese for nearly 3 decades. This is the regime that forced the birth of the Cedar Revolution, right after the assassination of Lebanon’s former PM Rafik Hariri. The main demand of the Cedar Revolution was for Syria to get out of Lebanon. This is the same regime that continues to destabilize Lebanon, using its allies such as Hezbollah, Amal, General Aoun and president Lahoud, whose term was extended by force under pressure by the Syrian rulers. This is the same regime that was accused of being responsible for assassinating Lebanon’s anti-Syrian leaders starting from MP Kamal Jumblatt in 1977, to MP Walid Eido in June 2007. This is the same regime that created, financed, and trained Fatah al Islam terrorists, and sent them to Lebanon to fight against the Lebanese army. This is the same regime that has fought the creation of the international court to try the killers of Hariri and the other leaders of Lebanon. This is the same regime that continues to illegally smuggle arms into Lebanon to destabilize the country. This is the same regime that continues to facilitate travel for terrorists from Iraq to cross into Lebanon to destabilize the country. This is the same regime that refuses to recognize Lebanon as a sovereign and independent state and refuses to demarcate the borders. The closure yesterday of the border crossing unilaterally and without consulting with Lebanon is a truly living example of the fact that this regime does not recognize Lebanon as an independent and sovereign state … it clearly shows lack of respect for its neighbor. The border crossing is after all shared equally between Lebanon and Syria. This is exactly why many Lebanese want UNIFIL forces stationed on the borders between both countries. This is exactly why many Lebanese are saying, “to hell with Syria and its borders, lets use the sea instead. The Phoenicians used the sea thousands of years ago, why can’t we use it today?” |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 The driver started to sing and laugh loudly out of outrage Culture. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-06-22 01:20 |