speeches 2007
Statement by U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey D. Feltman after his meeting with former President Amine Gemayel
November 27, 2007
My visit to my friend President Amine Gemayel today was colored by both sadness and by hope. With the passing of the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Minister Pierre Amine Gemayel, I noted with regret that no one has been arrested for this hideous crime. Yet while Sheikh Pierre was tragically seized from his family and from his country, his dream of a free and sovereign Lebanon remains very much alive. It is our hope that the Special Tribunal now being established will bring the killers of Sheikh Pierre to justice. It is our hope that the Special Tribunal will end the long, sad era of unsolved political murders in Lebanon. The United States' commitment to the Special Tribunal and to justice for Lebanon remains unshakeable.
President Gemayel and I also discussed the Presidency. I noted that Lebanon, like the United States and other democracies, is blessed with former heads of state who abide by democratic traditions and constitutional deadlines, who depart office peacefully, and who draw on their wisdom and experience to serve their countries faithfully in new capacities. We believe that the willing departure of a President from office on schedule is a hopeful sign of the strength and vibrancy of Lebanon's democracy.
At the same time, President Gemayel and I agreed that prolonged vacancy in the Presidency is unacceptable -- unacceptable politically and unacceptable confessionally. The vacancy caused by the refusal of some Members of Parliament to exercise their responsibility to vote needs to be filled as quickly as possible. We are confident that Lebanese Members of Parliament, if permitted to vote freely, will elect a President committed to Lebanon's unity, sovereignty, and democracy, and to upholding Lebanon's Constitution and independence.
Consistent with the principle that the Lebanese should be in charge of Lebanon, the United States has intentionally not advocated any candidates, nor have we dismissed any attempts to come to a solution via dialogue. We have fully backed Maronite Patriarch Sfeir's attempts to resolve the presidential impasse, and we deeply admire and respect the Patriarch's willingness to exercise leadership and responsibility. Unfortunately, these efforts have all failed. Lebanon today is without a President. Sadly, those who have refused to go to Parliament to vote have deprived Lebanon of its head of state and have deprived the Christians of their proper political role.
In the view of the United States, the vacuum in the Presidency serves only those who wish to weaken the state. It is not a coincidence that those parties who chose to keep Parliament closed rather than vote for the Special Tribunal, who built a private militia unaccountable to the state, and who established a private telecommunications system available only to a select few, are the same parties now hindering Parliament's ability to fill the highest office in the land. Those who created the vacuum try to hide their own complicity by making false accusations about the United States, when, all along, we have supported Parliament's right to elect a President. It is our firm conviction that the answer to Lebanon's Presidential vacuum is not irresponsible and dangerous action on the street, as some now suggest. The answer is in Lebanon's constitutional institutions, first and foremost the Parliament.
In closing, let me be clear, especially for those who would for demagogic reasons declare Syria and Iran innocent and the United States guilty of this sad Presidential vacuum: we believe strongly that Lebanon needs a president immediately. The way to achieve that is simple. Members of Parliament should exercise their obligation and respect democratic principles and vote. For the sake of Lebanon, and for the sake of the role of the Christian community in Lebanon, the United States would like to see that happen today.
