U.S. Hails 'Close' U.S.-Lebanese Ties, Failure of 'Enemies of Democracy'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said the last 30 years of “close” cooperation between Washington and Lebanon proved that the goals of “terrorists” who struck U.S. interests in the country in the 1980s were not achieved.
“Hizbullah and other terrorist organizations like it hoped through these violent attacks to deter the United States from maintaining our strong relationship with the Lebanese people, and from working with all elements of Lebanese society to insure the stability and sovereignty of Lebanon,” Kerry said on Thursday in a statement on the 30th anniversary of the U.S. embassy bombing in Beirut.
“Yet the last 30 years of close cooperation between the United States and Lebanon - especially at the people-to-people level - proves the terrorists' goals were not achieved,” he said.
“They underestimated the resolve of the United States to fight terrorism and to bring terrorists to justice wherever they may lurk,” Kerry added.
The statement said that on April 18, 1983, a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle laden with 2,000 pounds of explosives outside the U.S. embassy.
The bombing killed 52 American diplomats, military personnel, and Lebanese embassy employees. It also wounded more than 100 Americans and Lebanese, it said.
The same year the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut was targeted in a bombing. There was also a third attack on the embassy a year later.
“All the Americans lost in these acts of terror had come in peace. They and our cherished Lebanese colleagues made the ultimate sacrifice through their service,” Kerry said.
But he stressed that on the 30th anniversary of the mission's bombing, Washington “celebrates close cooperation with the people of Lebanon that proves the enemies of democracy failed.”
He reiterated that the U.S. supports a sovereign, stable, independent, and prosperous Lebanon.
On the same occasion, U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly led on Thursday a remembrance at the mission in Awkar, north of Beirut.
“The very presence of the embassy was an assertion of hope – that Lebanon would soon return to normal life. Unfortunately, many more years were to pass before Lebanon achieved a degree of stability. Even today, Lebanon’s normalcy is a fragile thing that requires constant attention,” she said.
“We cannot bring back those whom we lost in 1983 and 1984. But we can honor their memories and the memories of all those who have fallen to terrorism by ensuring we do not lack conviction,” Connelly said.
“The terrorists will not survive,” she stressed.
18 April 2013, 11:37
23
to remind us of this event with these words means the fate of hizbushaitan is sealed.
they are reminding the US people of this event to ready them for what is coming.
18 April 2013, 12:07
111
We won't forget the green light you gave to Hafez el Assad in 1990, America. You said yes to Syria eating us, we will never forget.
18 April 2013, 22:39
11
they got the green light thanks to aoun's wars and destruction of the christian strength!
18 April 2013, 12:42
26
Lebanon was made as a bastion for co-existence in a sea of persecution. We are a free, liberal and progressive people (except the radicals). They tell us we don't have an identity but we do, we are Lebanese. We aren't Arab of Phoenician or Christian or Muslim. We aren't Eastern or Western. We are Lebanese and together we have been blessed with the most beautiful and diverse land in the world, and with God's help we will build this land and prosper in it until the end of time. March 8 and March 14 are only good at dividing, let us forget Syria and America and Israel and Iran and remember that only internal unity will give our children and grandchildren the Lebanon we have dreamed of for many years.
18 April 2013, 14:09
33
Until they Americans confront the issue of the Palestinian refugees, Kerry is just spitting sh!t. And it seems Starsky and Geha here are happily gobbling it up, as any M14 dupe would.
18 April 2013, 18:06
40
How many Palestinian refugees are there. A refugee is only someone who was forced out of his/her home, not their descendents. So just how many from 1948 or 1967 are still alive. Then do the same maths with the Jewish refugees who were forced out of the Arab States from 1948 onwards, and see if there is a difference. The only legal difference is that Israel has absorbed these refugees into main line society, whereas the Arab States have continued keeping them in refugee camps for over 60 years.
18 April 2013, 22:46
03
Philipo, boooring. Come up with some new zionazi propaganda would you? And yes the descensands are counted as refugees as well for as long as they are banned from their ancestors lands. Most of the arab jews were not kicked out but were lured by the zionist agents to go to occupied palestine. Others went to the US, france and other countries with better economies just like many arab muslims and christians left for the same reason and guess what? They are free to return so you cant compare the two cases. Have some dignity and stop playing around with history, facts and reality.
18 April 2013, 17:19
01
@Naharnet staff, are there any words other than "Hails" and "Lashes out" in your reporting vernacular??? Do you people not take any pride whatsoever in your work? Same vocabulary and same photos over and over! Are you sure you are a news organization? Or are you someone’s hobby?
18 April 2013, 20:03
01
Thank you bandoul!! I have never heard these 2 expressions more than in the last few months on naharnet.
Learn new words please. Hell just right click and choose any synonym! We'll take it.
Honestly naharnet is not improving but declining in the quality of reporting. Very lazy, copy and paste. Sometimes barely even checking what they are pasting and keeping random sentences in the middle which are usually links to other articles.
naharnet, you have a decent number of faithful visitors and yet do nothing to make this a more accessible website.
Are you short on cash to pay someone to set up a forum where discussions can be followed thru instead of this ADD style debate? Once an article drops off the most read, no one even cares to finish the discussion.
18 April 2013, 17:22
30
@Kerry, you thorn in my thigh, anti-American enemy within, I cannot believe you represent my beloved USA to the world. You are both a disgrace and a disappointment.
18 April 2013, 18:20
35
Lebanese closeness to the U.S. has nothing to do with washinton d.c.
The Lebanese are naturally close to those that are democratic and have "western values". But let's not forget that the u.s. allowed Syria to occupy Lebanon in 1990 against French objections! They are the ones that will sell anyone out benefits them currently!
They allowed Israel to invade and destroy Lebanon and then allowed Syria to invade and destroy the whole of the republic of lebanon in 1990 so they could build a coalition against Iraq.
So excuse us Lebanese if we laugh at your meaningless, worthless comments... My 1 year old's comments has more meaning and believable than Kerry's!
18 April 2013, 22:39
11
"The Lebanese are naturally close to those that are democratic and have "western values".
this statement coming from someone who supports march 8 and dictator regimes in syria and hizbullah leadership and amal?
18 April 2013, 21:24
30
The Taef Accord supposedly makes sure that America's and France's friends stay in power, but all it actually does is weaken Lebanon to the point that it is a laughing-stock. And I don't know if Kerry knows the facts or is just a cheap clown. Does he know that Shias are in the majority in Lebanon? I don't think so. Does he realize how unstable Lebanon is under the Taef Accord (not that the majority ever "accorded"--meaning "joined hearts"--to this arrangement of fifty-fifty splits of Parliamentary seats between Christian and Muslims. Sure, this is democracy, if Israel is your idea of democracy.
18 April 2013, 21:39
12
remember when aoun said there was no shame in asking the help of the USA?...
just reminding you...
18 April 2013, 23:36
01
Has the U.S. come close enough to the Lebanese people to rid us from the Palestinian refugees and the implant of their regional conflict with Israel inside Lebanese soil? Yes, we will remain close to the West because the lure of the East (oil money) is short lived. Lebanon has had over 2,000 years of fruitful relationship with the West whose influence, mostly commerce, extended worldwide. It is time to rise up and demand exclusion from this despicable horrible faith they have forced down our throats or cultivate a better partner.
19 April 2013, 03:36
02
Out of curiosity, is Hezbollah a terrorist organization because they were blamed in the U.S. embassy bombing of 1983?
Officially, the perpetrators that Did Claim Responsibility, was a pro-Iranian group calling itself Islamic Jihad Organization (they came forward right after the bombing); Hezbollah has denied it, though a court in the U.S. has found Hezbollah as responsible on May 30, 2003.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_United_States_embassy_bombing#Responsibility
I'm curious, if that was the reason?
A bit more research got me to the official page of the State Gov:
http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm
This article states that Hezbollah was designated by the U.S. Gov as a Terrorist organization on 10/8/1997.
Just a fool by-passer.
