Aoun: Our opposition to U.S. foreign policy is an act of self defense

Source: Al-Manar TV, 05-07-2008

The first National Christian Forum was launched on Friday with a gathering that saw leading Christian figures attending, including former Phalange and Lebanese Forces members.

210 political, syndical, economic, intellectual and cultural figures took part in the meeting that was held in Dbayye, Beirut after months of preparations.

MP General Michel Aoun who initiated the gathering addressed the conferees, warning that Lebanon was still running the risk of Palestinian resettlement as ‘Israel' had denied them their right to return. "Lebanon is caught between the East and the West due to its pluralist composition. Its national unity is threatened, and its decision-making power is being taken to other capitals," Aoun warned, adding that national unity could only be fostered through dialogue among all confessions.

Aoun also called for a "joint conduct that would reassure the various sects," labeling Christians in Lebanon as "pioneers." "Christians should achieve solidarity with other sects," Aoun said, urging Christians to "heal their body from cancerous tumors."

The General stressed the need to consolidate the resistance in Lebanon in the face of outside and inside endeavors to deem Lebanon a weak country and ignore its rights. "Supporting the resistance is an option to confront threats facing the nation," Aoun said. He recalled Lebanon's great victory in the July 2006 ‘Israeli' war and slammed US-‘Israeli' policy of using arms to subjugate Lebanon and its people. "Our opposition to U.S. foreign policy is an act of self defense.

However, that does not mean that we are against the American people whose humanitarian values we share," Aoun said.

Aoun said the understanding between his Free Patriotic Movement and Hizbullah was necessary to fortify the resistance against ‘Israel's' aggressive policy. Aoun also said he regretted that "major events in the Middle East" had proved that certain groups in Lebanon were not up to the required role, which had had repercussions inside Lebanon.

"I tell the Christians of Lebanon that they are of this East and that they have a leading role in Lebanon," he stressed.