RIGHTS & CONCERNS OF THE LEBANESE-ARMENIAN COMMUNITY
Elias Bejjani

Global Politician, NY
Sept 10 2006

The LCCC (Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council) strongly denounces
the Lebanese Government’s unjust refusal to call off the Turkish Army’s
participation in the UN Peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) mandated by
the UN Security Council to deploy in South Lebanon in the aftermath
of the devastating 34-day long Israeli-Hezbollah war. The denied
request was made officially by Lebanon’s Armenian community in all its
denominational, political and social sectors and representatives. The
same appeal was made to the UN General Secretary, Mr. Kofi Annan.

The government’s refusal of the request is not merely a harsh
response of indifference and an act of condescendence in dealing
with one of Lebanon’s basic eighteen communities that make up the
multicultural and multiethnic Lebanese society, but it is in fact a
blatant infringement on a central article of the Lebanese constitution
that states: "No authority violating the common co-existence character
shall be legitimate".

Alienating the Armenian community, ignoring its genuine concerns and
keeping a blind eye on its painful history hinders Lebanon’s national
unity, indicates plainly and sadly that the Saniora government is
ruling with the same oppressive strategies of marginalization and
discrimination inflicted by the Baathist Syrian regime on numerous
Lebanese communities during Syria’s 29-year long horrible occupation
that came to an end 16 months ago.

The Lebanese Armenian’s community cry for justice is well understood
and well supported by the majority of the Lebanese people. This
well-respected community does not believe that the Turks should be
allowed under any given circumstances to be a part in any peacekeeping
mission before their state admits publicly the genocidal massacres
the Turkish Ottoman rulers committed in 1915 against the Armenian
people. 1.5 million Armenians were brutally murdered in cold blood
by the Ottoman Turkish Army in 1915 and many territories of their
country were confiscated and still are.

This is besides the fact that the Turkish Army is not qualified to play
a neutral role between the parties involved in the current conflict
unfolding on the Lebanese soil. The Turkish Parliament has made the
participation of its troops in UNFIL conditional on not taking part
in any assignment aiming to disarm Hezbollah.

Meanwhile the Lebanese people did not yet forget the hardships,
oppression, starvation, displacement, torture and humiliation
committed by the Ottomans during their 400 years of bloody and criminal
occupation of Lebanon and neighboring countries that ended with World
War I.

The LCCC appeals to both the Lebanese Government and the United Nations
to call off immediately the participation of the Turkish Army in the
peacekeeping mission of UNIFIL in Lebanon, and to block any other
UN similar task involving the Turks before the Turkish Government
publicly and officially admits the Genocide Massacres the Ottomans
committed in 1915 against the Armenian people and accepts all ethical,
moral and legal responsibilities.

The LCCC affirms the fact that any marginalization of any of Lebanon’s
eighteen distinct cultural, ethnic and religious communities is in
effect a flagrant infringement on the Lebanese constitution, the
principle of shared living, consensual democracy, national unity and
the UN Human Rights Charter.

We salute the Lebanese Armenian community in its longing for justice
and fully support its legitimate request submitted for both the
Lebanese government and the UN.

Elias Bejjani is a human rights activist, journalist & political
commentator. He is the Spokesman for the Canadian Lebanese Human
Rights Federation (CLHRF) and the Media Chairman for the Canadian
Lebanese Coordinating Council (LCCC) E-Mail: phoenicia@hotmail.com
LCCC Web Site:

http://globalpolitician. com/articledes.asp?ID=2129&cid=2&sid=5

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress