YouSaid · the spoken record

Tammam Salam

lines on the record: 43
first: 2014-09-24
most recent: 2016-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Yet that model is suffering from political weakness and needs the world to offer it a helping hand. Meanwhile, the Lebanese people will remain in the heart of the oppressed Levant — firmly committed to living together in one unified State.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Amid the violent maelstrom that is sweeping across the Levant, where everything is in flux and endless waves of displaced persons are leaving their homes and communities, a small entity called Lebanon stands firm against the aftershocks of the crisis that is tearing everything apart around it, and offers the world a model other than that which is intended to prove the inability of our region to tolerate the possibility of coexistence among different entities. Lebanon is a shining star, an example of affinity among various affiliations and a model totally opposed to the notion of a single-colour racist State that rejects all other shades. It is a laboratory of partnership at a time when sects, nationalities and ethnicities are fighting one another and populations are fleeing their countries.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We warn against the dangers of tampering with maps, demolishing existing entities and changing the demographic nature of communities or threatening their social cohesion and religious diversity. We believe that the main prerequisite for consolidating stability and eliminating hotbeds of extremism in the Middle East is to meet the just demands of the people to live independently, with dignity and freedom, and to find a just solution to the Palestinian cause. We would like to stress the importance of establishing peaceful relations among the countries of the region, based on good-neighbourliness, respect for the sovereignty of other countries and the principle of non-interference in their internal affairs. We call for the promotion of the culture of peace and dialogue to protect the oases of diversity in the Levant.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“At this very moment, as I speak before the Assembly, a major cycle of violence continues to rage in the Arab Levant, causing the destruction of homes and livelihoods, hospitals and places of worship. Communities are being uprooted from their homelands and hurled into the abyss of an unknown future. Great cities are being razed to the ground and erased from the map without any consideration for their historical importance, or indeed their human heritage value. We renew our call to all influential Powers to cease procrastinating and hesitating and to assume their responsibilities by acting with determination to stop the bloodshed and restore security and stability in our region. We appeal to everyone to join wholeheartedly and effectively in the fight against obscurantist terrorism.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We condemn Israel’s continuing occupation of the Palestinian land and its blockade of the Gaza Strip, as well as its obstruction of the efforts to rebuild what was destroyed by the Israeli aggression in the summer of 2014. We call for the principle of legal accountability to be applied in the case of the war crimes committed by Israel, to prevent those crimes from going unpunished. We hold Israel responsible for foiling all attempts to reach a peaceful settlement, and we stress the need for a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict, based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, and the Arab Peace Initiative. We furthermore stress the right of Palestinian refugees to return home, pursuant to international resolutions.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Once again, Lebanon calls on the international community to compel Israel to cease its violations of Lebanese sovereignty, to fully cooperate with the United Nations peacekeeping forces and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, to demarcate what is left of the Blue Line and to withdraw from the northern part of Ghajar, the Shaba’a farmlands and the Kfar Shouba Hills. Lebanon reiterates its strong determination to safeguard its full rights over its water and natural resources, including oil and gas, within its exclusive economic zone. Lebanon called on the Secretary- General, during his visit to Beirut last March, to make use of his good offices in resolving the issue of the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone between Lebanon and Israel. We look forward to his heightened role in that area.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“A precondition for the successful elimination of the terrorist phenomenon lies in eradicating its roots and the contributing factors that fuel it. We ought to address deprivation and injustice, which are the incubators of extremism, by meeting the legitimate demands of people for freedom, dignity and equality and by rejecting all forms of violence and exclusion. On the tenth anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), Lebanon reiterates its commitment to that resolution with all its provisions.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We declare a commitment to fight the scourge in all its forms. We stress the importance of regional and international cooperation in that fight. We believe that the isolationist tendencies of some communities — retreating behind separation walls with the unhealthy encouragement of Islamophobia — are aimed at an Islam that is being deceitfully brandished and branded by terrorists to justify their crimes. Such isolationist tendencies do not represent a panacea against terrorism. Rather, they are a recipe for the emergence of violent, extremist and racist tendencies, which have been rejected by advanced democracies for a long time. Combating terrorism is a long-term process that requires major efforts at all levels.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Lebanon cannot and will not assimilate additional displaced persons. Lebanon urges the United Nations to craft an overarching vision for resettling displaced Syrians living in our territory in areas inside Syria and for working with the parties concerned to turn such a vision into a workable plan at the earliest possible time. As we await the realization of that plan, we stress once more the temporary character of the Syrian presence in Lebanon. Let me declare that Lebanon is not a country of permanent asylum. Lebanon is the homeland of the Lebanese and only the Lebanese. Lebanon continues to suffer from the threat of terrorism. Lebanon is engaged in an open confrontation with terrorism — a confrontation for which we have paid dearly with the lives of our soldiers, civilians and children.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The election of a new President will help rebalance our constitutional institutions and protect the Lebanese model of coexistence, which is the last surviving model based on plurality in the Levant. We reiterate that the distressing war in Syria has produced a displacement crisis that has imposed an unbearable burden on Lebanon that exceeds our capacities. My country, with its limited surface area, is hosting numbers of displaced Syrians equivalent to one third of our population. We are shouldering our humanitarian duty towards those people with our limited resources and with insufficient support from the international community. We are disappointed with the level of international response to our needs as a host country — a response that is not commensurate with the pledges made or the goodwill expressed on so many occasions.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“It has also had negative repercussions on our economic situation. All countries that consider themselves brothers and friends of Lebanon — all those who are familiar with the Lebanese scene — are well aware of the specificities of the political situation in my country and the extent to which it is influenced by external factors. The main external factor has been sharp regional polarization, which has turned into an open conflict in the entire region. Realism compels us to recognize that the solution to the problem of the presidential vacancy is not just in the hands of the Lebanese. I therefore call on all of Lebanon’s friends and supporters and all who are keen to avoid the emergence of a new area of tension in the Middle East to help the Lebanese elect a President of the country.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Lebanon emphasizes the need to reactivate and revitalize the role of the General Assembly so as to make it more effective in addressing issues of concern to the whole of humankind. Lebanon laments that the Security Council has repeatedly failed to address the conflicts raging in many countries, particularly in the Middle East. Lebanon stresses the importance of reforming the Security Council in a way that would reflect the latest political, economic and demographic realities emerging in our world. My country is undergoing a severe political crisis, the most salient aspect of which is the inability of Parliament for the past two and a half years to elect a President of the Republic. The crisis has led to the near paralysis of the legislative authorities and the slowdown of the work of the executive branch.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Foremost among those goals is the maintenance of peace and security, the promotion of world peace, securing the right of peoples to self-determination and ensuring respect for human rights. In 2016 we have witnessed tremendous international efforts to mobilize goodwill, reduce the number of armed conflicts and strengthen communities. Such efforts have come about either under the auspices or with the contribution of the United Nations, with the goal of improving the international community’s ability to meet the unprecedented challenges that are the mark of our era. Perhaps the most noble milestones were the signing by 175 States of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which took place in April, and the holding of the World Humanitarian Summit, which was held in Istanbul in May.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“At the outset, allow me to congratulate the President on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session. Allow me also to thank Mr. Mogens Lykketoft for his tireless efforts throughout his presidency during the seventieth session. I would also like to extend special thanks to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. We thank him for his annual report on the work of the Organization (A/71/1) and for the high priority that he has given to the issues of the Middle East and Lebanon. I take this opportunity to reiterate Lebanon’s commitment to assuming its role in achieving the lofty goals of the Organization. My country had the honour to have been among its founding Members.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“I call upon the countries of the world to shun their inaction and resignation and assume the responsibility of restoring security and stability in our region and ensure people’s right to a better future. The countries of the world must reach out and put an end to the death toll in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, and in the land of peace, Palestine. I beseech the international community to reach out and restore the glow of the Levantine jewel, known as Lebanon, and ensure that our children’s right — which is the right of all children — to sail on the vessels of their dreams, rather than on the literal boats of humiliation and death, which are carrying them to foreign shores.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“While Lebanon rejects the resettlement of refugees on its territory, we also stress the right of Palestinians to return to their homeland, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. A number of crises are roiling in the Middle East region, bringing upheaval. The time has come for the world to mobilize its energies and address them seriously, rather than ignoring them and shirking its responsibility. That is not only because the Levant is the spiritual and linguistic cradle for so much of humankind, but also because our humanitarian duty commands the international community to take action. And our undeniable interest requires us to contain the wildfire that is raging now and prevent it from spreading to everyone’s homes.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Lebanon denounces Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian land and its blockade of the Gaza Strip. We call upon the international community to compel it to lift that inhumane blockade and ensure decent living conditions for the Palestinians. We condemn the repeated Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and warn of their serious repercussions. We hold Israel responsible for the failure to reach a peaceful settlement to the conflict based on the two-State solution. In the meantime, we call upon the Security Council to take the appropriate action to resume negotiations, aimed at ending the occupation within a specified time frame, based on resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), the Madrid terms of reference and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“While marking the ninth anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), Lebanon reaffirms its commitment to all the provisions of that resolution, based on the belief that it will strengthen stability and security in southern Lebanon and will contribute to extending the State’s authority over its entire territory. Lebanon reiterates its call to the international community to compel Israel to cease its violations of Lebanese sovereignty and cooperate with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). I take this opportunity to thank the UNIFIL command, structures, troops and all participating countries in order to demarcate the rest of the Blue Line and ensure that the Israelis withdraw immediately from the northern Ghajar area, Shaba’a farmlands and the Kfar Shouba Hills.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We followed the recent agreement between Iran and the five permanent Security Council members and Germany with great interest. We now hope that that development will open a new chapter in international relations, marking the beginning of progress in the region and improvement in the political situation in 15-29562 53/54 A/70/PV.19 30/09/2015 Lebanon. We consider that the baseline requirement for successful and normal relations among the countries in the region, which is in the best interests of their peoples, is a commitment to good-neighbourly policy, respect of States’ sovereignty and non-interference in their internal affairs, security and stability.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“That is at a time when developments in the Middle East continue to threaten the social, cultural and religious diversity of the region. We believe that safeguarding the integrity of Lebanon is tantamount to protecting a vital remnant of pluralism in the Levant. Therefore, consolidating stability in the country requires strengthening its political, security and socioeconomic components, and it entails a consensual decision on the part of our brothers and friends. That needs to be done in order to prevent regional polarization from influencing Lebanon, help the Lebanese people end the current political vacuum and paralysis and bolster the work of the constitutional institutions with the immediate election of a new President of the Republic.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The increasing responsibilities assumed by our military and security apparatus in the fight against terrorism have heightened our determination to strengthen our forces as a main pillar of security, stability and social harmony in the country. In stressing the need to address its root causes, Lebanon renews its commitment to fight terrorism in all its forms. We reaffirm our readiness to cooperate in the framework of a joint international effort, undertaken by the Security Council, aimed at eradicating terrorism and its sources of financing. Despite the numerous political crises that Lebanon now faces — chief among them the vacuum created by the absence of a President of the Republic — Lebanon is proud to be a paragon of diversity and an oasis of coexistence among the members of various religions and sects.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Perhaps the most daunting consequence of the conflict is the terrorism, which has demanded steep sacrifices. It is no secret that for more than a year now a group of our military forces is still being held by terrorist groups, and we are still exerting tremendous efforts to free them. Based on a firm political resolution and efficient security action, we have succeeded in addressing the scourge of terrorism. Our people has proved to the world that Lebanon is not an incubator of terrorism meddling with some countries of the region under the cover of Islam — the religion of tolerance, love and moderation.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“While upholding its international obligations, Lebanon reiterates its appeal to donor countries to fulfil their commitments, and even to increase their financial contributions, in order to provide direct assistance to Lebanese public institutions and host communities, according to the response plan launched by Lebanon last December in collaboration with the United Nations. We firmly stress the principle of shared responsibility and burden-sharing among countries, while underlining the importance of establishing safe areas or buffer zones for refugees in Syria and setting up collection centres on the border. The problem of the displaced population is only one facet of the many negative repercussions Lebanon has endured due to the neighbouring war.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“That call does not stem only from the links of neighborhood, kinship, history and common interests between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples, but also from Lebanon’s firm interest in ending the Syrian crisis because of the heavy burden of the massive waves of displaced persons, dubbed by the United Nations itself as a “national disaster”. If Europe, with its sizeable capacity and generous humanity, has been confused by the sight of thousands of displaced persons suddenly appearing in its cities, Lebanon, with its limited space and scarce capacity, has been hosting, over the past four years, 1.5 million displaced Syrians, amounting to one third of its population. Lebanon’s public infrastructure and host communities have been exhausted maximally at a time of steadily declining international assistance due to the so-called donor fatigue.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Yet we continue to believe that the best solution to the problem, and the least expensive for Syria, the neighbouring countries and the world, is to tackle the tragedy directly and deal with its root causes. Lebanon reiterates its call to the international community, especially all prominent world Powers, to rise above reluctance and wavering and to stop the fighting on Syrian territory, whose price is the blood of the Syrians. We urge them to end the ongoing massacre by fostering a political solution that safeguards the country’s unity, independence and territorial integrity, while fulfilling the Syrian people’s aspirations for a free and dignified life.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“His picture describes the story of a tormented people drifting in the sea without direction, or packed on sidewalks in cities and train stations, waiting for a permit, or a visa or simply a meal. The narrative has far outpaced any political, military or legal framework, to put forth a major question related to the present and the future of humankind. 52/54 15-29562 30/09/2015 A/70/PV.19 We have all followed the efforts made on the part of some European countries to accommodate additional numbers of refugees on their territory. Those efforts are rooted in the cultural and civilizational heritage rooted in the bitter experience of devastating wars.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We speak about the fundamental rights of human beings; in our region that concept is withering away, day after day, under the pressure of wars; dimming before an ever growing shadow hiding behind the veil of religion; and completely disintegrating when faced with the barbaric colonization practised by the State of Israel, while it seeks to hide under a modern and democratic cloak. Before the eyes of the entire world, nations in our region are disintegrating. Millions are leaving their homes, wandering off to the unknown. There is Aylan: the 3-year-old child seen earlier this month by the entire world, after his body washed ashore towards his eternal resting place. His tragedy sums up the prevailing status of fundamental human rights in our region.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“On the seventieth anniversary marking the establishment of the United Nations, in which my country had the honour of contributing by way of the drafting of the Charter of the United Nations, I would like to stress Lebanon’s commitment in fully assuming its active role as a member of the international community in order to fulfil the noble aims unanimously approved by all nations: chiefly, safeguarding international peace and security, the right of peoples to self-determination and respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all human beings.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“It is my pleasure, at the outset, to congratulate the President for presiding over the work of the General Assembly at its seventieth session. I also take this opportunity to thank Mr. Sam Kutesa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uganda, for the efforts exerted throughout his presidency of the Assembly during its sixty-ninth session.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“It must meet its obligation and seek to establish peace in that tormented part of the world — a peace that is based on law, justice, respect for the sovereignty of nations and the protection of their security and territorial integrity, the safeguarding of the fundamental rights of individuals and groups, including their right to enjoy their wealth, and the protection of religious and ethnic diversity. We, the Lebanese people, both at home and in every corner of the world, look to the United Nations for assistance. At the same time, we are determined to overcome the current crisis, as we have done so many times before. We are confident that, together, we will not allow any person, any circumstance or any party to extinguish the beacons of freedom, democracy, diversity, pluralism, knowledge and human rights in Lebanon.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“However, that troubled area was, is and will be home to many people who, like all other human beings, have land, homes, tales, dreams and a history. They are individuals who are eager to live as free and equal citizens in free and stable countries. They have sons and daughters who seek better opportunities for engagement in the world and a better place to live. Humankind owes a debt to our Levant. We gave humankind enlightenment when darkness, extremism and ignorance were crippling the other side of the world. We still have much to offer and to add to the tremendous development of human progress and creativity. The world must stop counting our dead.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Lebanon believes that Israel is responsible for frustrating all efforts to reach a peaceful settlement based on the two-State solution. It stresses the need for a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict in the Middle East, based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), the Madrid terms of reference for peace and the Arab Peace Initiative, adopted at the Beirut summit in 2002. Today, the Levant seems to be the stage for dark and arbitrary tragedies, where the most recent manifestations of human savagery are being played out. Today, the Levant seems to be hostage to ignorance, extremism and obscurantism, plunged into a hatred arising from a distant past and guided by a fanaticism and instincts that yield only bloodshed.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Lebanon cannot fail to acknowledge the role of UNIFIL and the ongoing cooperation and coordination between UNIFIL and the Lebanese army. Lebanon would like to thank all nations that contribute to the Force, the Force leaders and the members of the Force for their dedication in the service of the stability and security of civilians in southern Lebanon. Last month, the Gaza Strip was subjected to a new Israeli aggression, which killed hundreds of civilians, displaced more than a quarter of the population and destroyed homes, hospitals and infrastructure. Lebanon, which has paid dearly as a result of the repeated Israeli attacks, calls for legal accountability for the war crimes committed by Israel and for that country to be held accountable for its actions in order to prevent impunity.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We believe that it will strengthen stability and security in southern Lebanon and contribute to extending the State’s authority over its entire territory. We renew our appeal to the international community to compel Israel to fulfil all its obligations in that regard, to stop violating Lebanese sovereignty from the land, the sea and the air and to fully cooperate with the United Nations peacekeeping forces of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in order to demarcate what is left of the Blue Line and immediately withdraw from the area north of Ghajar, the Sheba’a Farms and the Kfar Shouba Hills. We also wish to reaffirm Lebanon’s full rights to its territorial waters and the natural oil and gas resources within its exclusive economic zone.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The problem of the displaced Syrians, with all its serious economic, social and security implications, is not — and should not be — a purely Lebanese problem. It is a major regional crisis that we put before the international community, which must share that enormous burden with Lebanon. Such a burden cannot be borne by any country alone, no matter how large. Lebanon reiterates its concern for the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria. In our Government policy statement, we have reaffirmed our commitment to the policy of keeping our distance in order to protect ourselves from the repercussions of the crisis in the neighbouring country. On the eighth anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), Lebanon asserts its commitment to implementing all of the resolution’s provisions.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In order to fully understand the dimensions of that situation, one would have to imagine 100 million people flooding into the United States of America and spreading out randomly through its cities, towns, schools and parks, with their related urgent needs and requirements, posing an unbearable burden at the economic, humanitarian, social, educational, health and security levels. That huge number of displaced people weighs heavily on the Lebanese infrastructure, which already has structural problems. It puts pressure on the national economy, where growth has dropped to almost 0 per cent owing to the regional situation, which represents a loss of $7.5 billion for Lebanon, according to World Bank estimates. This reality constitutes a national disaster for us.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Lebanon is proud to be the only country in the Arab and Islamic worlds where the President of the Republic is a Christian citizen. That confirms that our country, despite its political crises, has been a paragon of diversity in the Middle East, an exceptional example of coexistence and interaction among followers of different religions and sects and a model totally opposed to the notion of a racist State. I take this opportunity to reiterate before the General Assembly the Lebanese Government’s call for the election of a new Christian President of the Republic as soon as possible. The painful and worrisome war in Syria, which has continued for more than four years, has driven nearly 1.5 million displaced Syrians to Lebanon — a number that is equivalent to one-third of the Lebanese population.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That terrorist onslaught targets religious groups that since time immemorial have been an essential component of the social fabric of the region and a fundamental part of the social and cultural diversity that has long characterized the eastern Mediterranean. In the past few months, the entire world has witnessed attacks against Christians and Yazidis in Iraq, their forced expulsion and the destruction of their property and holy sites. Lebanon considers attacks against religions, their followers and sacred places to be an offence against human dignity and a violation of the freedom of religious belief and practice enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the International Bill of Human Rights, respect for which is guaranteed by our Lebanese Constitution.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We continue to follow the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. We look forward to the establishment of the truth in order to put an end to impunity, enable justice to be served and deter criminals. The events unfolding in vast areas of Syria and Iraq constitute human crimes that cannot be understood or accepted by any intellect or faith. Perpetrated in the name of Islam, such crimes have cost the lives of tens of thousands of Muslim civilians and have caused unprecedented waves of displaced people. In addition, those crimes have destabilized national entities, divided societies and destroyed human and material resources.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The current international mobilization against terror reflects the international community’s awareness of the alarming situation in our region and the need to extinguish the flames of violence and prevent the spread of such attacks. Lebanon underscores the need for regional and international cooperation to fight terrorism. We welcome the Security Council resolutions on the subject, in particular resolutions 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014). Lebanon calls on its brothers and friends around the world to safeguard and protect it from regional power struggles. Our fight against terrorism is not new. For years, Lebanon has suffered under the threat posed by political crimes, which have targeted many of its leaders, in particular former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and prominent media figures and intellectuals.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We remain focused on the release of our soldiers, while preserving the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of our country. In combating terrorism, the Lebanese people stand united with its armed forces, which represent the main pillar on which we depend to safeguard our national sovereignty, security and peace. Our Government continues to rally the necessary support for its forces to be able to fulfil their duty. In that regard, Lebanon values the generous donation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support our armed forces. We also pay tribute to the initiative of the Secretary-General, who launched the International Support Group for Lebanon last September here in New York city. We express our satisfaction and reassurance over the outcomes of the meetings held by the Support Group this year in Paris and Rome.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Today Lebanon is the target of a fierce terrorist onslaught being perpetrated by obscurantist and criminal groups. They have attacked many parts of Lebanon and caused the loss of military and civilian lives, as well as considerable material damage. Last month, terrorists kidnapped a number of soldiers and security officers. They took them hostage in order to bring pressure to bear on and to blackmail the Lebanese authorities. They brutally executed three of the detainees. Such crimes have impeded the ongoing indirect negotiations that my Government was conducting with the assistance of friendly countries to secure the release of the soldiers. I would like to underscore that compromise on our firm beliefs is not an option.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Allow me first to congratulate the President on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty- ninth session. I would also like to thank Mr. John Ashe for his work during his presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session. Our appreciation also goes to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his annual report on the work of the Organization (A/69/1). We meet today on the eve of the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, to which my country had the honour to contribute. That milestone reminds us of the need to draw lessons and explore the best ways to put an end to war and violence and to mobilize international efforts to combat terrorism and terrorists. I wish to convey the concerns of my country, Lebanon, which is at the crossroads of a turbulent region.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)