Where I Stand: U.S. should take new look at Syria-Lebanon situation

Saturday, Feb. 22, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

LAST SUNDAY, this newspaper carried a very interesting story from Lebanon. A Los Angeles Times writer told of the pain caused by Syrian occupation of that little country. This is the first story published in our country that made it clear that Lebanon has become nothing more than a part of Syria. Despite what Syrian-dominated Lebanese officials say, the people are coming to realize they are being ruled by a savage foreign power.

First, the Syrians concentrated on slaughtering Lebanese Christians, but now, even the Muslims of the country are feeling the pinch. Some of them take notice that the Syrians are moving to exert even greater influence over them. It's known that more than 100 Lebanese have been arrested and sent to Syrian President Hafez Assad's prisons.

The news story made note that: "The government also has been reining in Lebanon's freewheeling broadcast media, bringing them into line with the censorship and government control typical of most Arab countries. A law that took effect in November bans broadcasts by all but five private television outlets.

"The surviving stations either are owned by prominent government officials or have close links to the government. The one exception is a broadcast license given to Hezbollah so that it can publicize its 'resistance' in southern Lebanon.

"It is illegal to print pamphlets and brochures without a license, and there are suspicions that the Syrian-dominated Parliament plans limits on the formation of associations.

"Finally, dissidents complain of attempts to circumvent the independence of the judiciary, often by referring cases to a pliable military tribunal rather than to the regular courts."

This story didn't surprise anybody who has been watching the Syrian occupation of Lebanon from near and afar. What has bothered me is the reluctance of the national and international media to tell the true story about what is happening in Lebanon.

Despite the U.S. ban on travel to Lebanon and a recognition of severe Syrian human rights violations, our diplomats and Presidents Bush and Clinton continued to kiss Assad's ring.

President Bush's Secretary of State James Baker didn't make a peep when Assad finished the killing of Lebanese Christians while we were busy with Saddam Hussein in the Persian Gulf. When that short war started, Bush encouraged Saudi Arabia to pay $500 million in bribe money to Assad, who spent it on sophisticated weapons from Russia, North Korea and China.

Our coddling of Assad did nothing to help our troops in Desert Storm. He sent a token 17,000 men from his 500,000-man army, which also has 4,000 tanks, and refused to allow them to be part of any assault against Iraq. Furthermore, he wouldn't let our combat planes overfly Syria during the heat of battle.

Action by our diplomats and President Clinton didn't change much. Clinton met with Assad in Switzerland, and his Secretary of State Warren Christopher spent almost as much time in Damascus as he did in Washington. Even public slights by Assad couldn't keep Christopher from returning and embarrassing himself and the United States. What change did he bring about in Syria's conduct? None. He should have expected nothing more from a man who has publicly butchered thousands of his own people to retain control.

A year ago, this column carried a plea from the World Lebanese Organization, asking the world to recognize the reality of Lebanon's unwanted occupation by Syria. Our diplomats know that until there is a free Lebanon, there will never be peace on the border of Israel. The Syrian government supports the Hezbollah terrorists that fire rockets into Israeli villages. In fact, they cooperate with Iran to provide the terrorists with heavy weapons used to fire on the villages.

Let's hope that the story last Sunday is the start of more reports that may eventually tweak the consciences of foreign diplomats and democratic leaders of the world. Personally, I doubt if their consciences will be tweaked, because they already know what Syria has done and is doing. Maybe enough exposure of the situation will result in at least one or two leaders being embarrassed enough to speak out and ask why countries like the United States ignore the situation and continue to play Assad's games.