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Canada must take action against Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and Palestinians for terror in Lebanon

Alastair Gordon - 11/23/2006

Ottawa, Canada - Yesterday's assassination of Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel is another example of foreign state terror being used to destabilize Lebanon. Canada must not stand by and allow these vicious criminal actions to succeed.

"Prime Minister Harper understands the importance of democracy to the people of Lebanon," said Francois Hachem, director of the Canadian Coalition for Democracies (CCD). "Today, we are calling on the Prime Minister to take strong action against Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists within Lebanon as well as their sponsors in Syria and Iran. We must defeat those who use violence and murder, especially against the Christian minority, with the goal of making Lebanon yet another stage for global Islamist terror that threatens all nations including Canada."

"Syria has mocked United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 and 1701 and the UN refuses to act," said Hachem. "It is time that Canada recognized this fact, and take the necessary steps to hold the regime and its proxies responsible."

"Iran and Syria will continue to ignore criticism and UN resolutions," said Alastair Gordon, president of CCD. "Canada must consider meaningful action such as cancelling our active trade partnership with Syria as we did with South Africa during the Apartheid regime, moving our Lebanese immigration office back to Lebanon from Syria, ending our funding of UNRWA for its incitement of Palestinians against Christians in Lebanon, and helping bring to justice the killers of President Hariri and Minister Gemayel and those who have murdered and maimed journalists, clerics and democracy activists who have spoken out against Syrian occupation."

As a first step, Canada must send a high-ranking cabinet minister to the funeral of Minister Gemayel scheduled for Thursday. "This gesture will signal support to the people of Lebanon and let the Syrians and their proxies know that the Christian and Muslim people they seek to destroy and the nation they seek to re-occupy are not without friends", added Hachem.